Nothing
is nicer than curling up with something warm on a cold winter's evening.
The tradition, known as mulling, of adding spices and fruit to heated wine
or cider goes back hundreds of years. While there are commercial
preparations of mulling spices and even "instant" spiced cider on the market,
making your own blend allows you to tailor it to your particular taste,
is cheaper, and makes a great gift for Yule.
For mulling
spices, it is best to use whole or slightly cracked spices rather than
the crushed or ground varieties. Ground spices are much stronger
tasting, lose their potency faster in storage, and are harder to strain
out of your beverage.
Following is
a list of the most common spices used in mulling, feel free to experiment
with others to create your own special blend.
Cinnamon: Crack one or two sticks into your mixture. This is a very powerful spice, so don't use too much.
Whole Allspice: This spice is best used whole and sparingly.
Nutmeg: Best in cracked form, used sparingly.
Dried Ginger: Use shredded, dried root.
Star Anise: Lends and unusual licorice flavor. Best used whole.
Katya Kuchner
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