What do cloves, pepper, tree bark and the wings of dead lady bugs have in common?

…

Give up yet?

…

You can mull wine with them!

Having read mulled wine recipes on the internet from the time I was old enough to drink…and, er, several years earlier…I’ve drawn the conclusion that you can mull wine using almost anything you want.  I wouldn’t suggest tree bark or lady bug wings, but you CAN do it, and that’s the point.

Anyway, I was home from work early due to snow and really couldn’t get to the store, so I decided that instead of trying a new drink, I’d try a variation on the old one.

The original mulled wine recipe I used calls for pear eau-de-vie (aka pear brandy) and a pear. I didn’t have pear eau-de-vie or a pear, so I substituted apple brandy (Laird’s Applejack, specifically) and an an apple.

The original recipe also calls for a bottle of white zinfandel, but I didn’t have that either, so I substituted a bottle of moscato, the other sweetest white wine I’m personally aware of that isn’t a liqueur.

This recipe went a lot smoother for me than the rompope recipe. I didn’t spill anything, nothing boiled over, there was no straining of paste, I was done in under half hour.

First, the pepper and clovers sit in the pot on medium heat until fragrant – a minute or two, it doesn’t take long.

Next, add the the wine, small bunches of fresh sage & thyme, lemon juice, lemon rind, and sugar and let simmer for 10 minutes. When that’s done, strain out the solids, pour back into pot, add sliced up apple and the apple brandy, and let simmer another 8-10 minutes until the apples are “fork tender.”

this smelled sooooo good.

I forgot to strain the solids before adding the apple and brandy. Siiiigh. I left them in for the last simmering. Nothing terrible happened…for me, that’s kind of a switch. Usually, when it comes to food & drink, what I decide “really can’t hurt” usually ruins everything, so this was a pleasant surprise.

not poisonous!

And it turned out well!

my sister, ladies and gentlemen!

If you want you can leave the apple in – my apple was particularly mushy, so I strained it out – and have a nice winter warmer on a cold, snowy day! You might even have a surprise guest.

Tagged: alcohol: wine, cocktails: recipes, cocktails: seasonal: winter