Mr. Big Food’s aunt reports that the wind chill is 9˚ where they are in Texas. She emailed to request some Gluhwein (mulled wine) recipes. Happy to oblige.

(I knew people would be driven to drink! More hot alcoholic hot drinks with alcohol coming up tomorrow. Unless you want them sooner. Let me know in comments. Or email as Aunt Bee did!)

MULLED MERLOT

“For those who appreciate red wine, this deliciously warm beverage mixes spices, orange juice, merlot, and just a nip of brandy. Pretty cinnamon sticks make perfect stirrers.”—Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Taste of Home Special Editions, Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook (2012)

Makes: 9 servings

4 3-inch cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
2 750-ml bottles merlot
½ C sugar
¼ C orange juice
½ C brandy
1 medium orange, sliced thin

Place cinnamon sticks and cloves in double-thickness of cheesecloth, bring up corners of cloth, and tie with string to form a bag. In a 3-quart slow cooker combine wine, sugar, orange juice, brandy, and orange slices, add spice bag, cover, and cook on High for 1 hour or until heated through. Discard spice bag and orange slices, and serve warm.

MULLED WINE

About 12 servings

1 quart burgundy or claret
Yellow peels of 1 orange and 1 lemon
2- to 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 whole nutmeg, crushed
6 whole cloves
1 Tbsp sugar

Mix together all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Strain to remove spices and serve hot.

HOT MULLED CIDER AND SPICED WINE VARIATION

“Keeps perfect serving temperature—better flavor, no last minute rush!” —Rival Crock-Pot Slow Electric Stoneware Cooker Cook Book

“Serve from CROCK-POT with ladle.”

½ C brown sugar
2 quarts cider
1 tsp whole allspice
1 ½ tsp whole cloves
2 pieces stick cinnamon
Orange slices

Put all ingredients in CROCK-POT. “If desired, tie whole spices in cheesecloth or put in tea strainer. (If spices are added loose, strain before serving.)” Cover and cook on Low for 2 to 8 hours.

HOT SPICED WINE VARIATION

Substitute 2 fifths of sweet sherry, claret, or port wine for cider.

WASSAIL V

“Mulled ale to warm you on a cold day. I tried various recipes for wassail, but was never satisfied. I ended up experimenting, in order to get that balance between sweet flavorfulness and aromatic depth.”—The Deplorable Gourmet by The Horde (2017)

Chef’s Notes: “The sweetness can be adjusted by adding more or less brown sugar. A regular orange can be substituted for a blood orange if the latter is not available.”

Yield: 10 8-ounce servings
Prep time: 90 minutes

72 oz, 6 12-ounce bottles, brown ale, “decent”
Half of a 750 ml bottle Madeira
4 apples and/or pears, cored, filled with butter and brown sugar to taste
6 to 8 oz honey
1 to 2 Tbsp whole cloves
1 to 2 Tbsp whole allspice
1 to 2 Tbsp crystallized ginger
2 to 3 cinnamon sticks
1 blood orange, sliced
6 to 12 dashes bitters, plus more to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine cloves, allspice, ginger, and cinnamon sticks in a cheesecloth packet and soak spice packet in 6 to 12 dashes bitters. In a slow cooker/crock pot, combine Madeira and 60 oz (5 12-oz bottles) brown ale, add blood orange slices and spice packet, and heat on high. Place prepared apples and/or pears in an ovenproof container, pour remaining 12 oz brown ale into pan, and bake about 40 minutes. Add fruit, liquid, and sugar from pan into mixture in slow cooker/crock pot and allow to heat about 30 minutes, adding more bitters to taste if desired. Serve.