How About a Little Vin Chaud for the Cold Nights Ahead?

There's nothing like a warm drink on a cold, cold night and those nights will be soon upon us. If it has some alcohol in it - even better!  The English have Mulled Wine and the Germans have a recipe as well - but since I have such a love affair with all things French - here's a recipe for Vin Chaud.

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Recipes for the delightful winter beverage abound, so you can feel free to peruse the web and then change some of the ingredients.  Here's a great recipe to start with...

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes


Ingredients:


• 1 bottle red wine


• 4 cinnamon sticks


• 1 5-inch by ½-inch piece of orange zest (white pith removed)


• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar


• 2 cardamon pods


• 5 whole cloves


• 1/3 cup Cognac


Preparation:


Cook’s note:For the best flavor, use a slightly fruity red wine.


How to make vin chaud:


Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to just under a simmer over the lowest heat setting on the stovetop. Do not allow the wine to boil. The mulled wine is hot enough when the sugar has dissolved and pulling and lifting a spoon from the wine brings up steam. If desired, strain the spices from the wine by pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined collander. Add 1-2 teaspoons of Cognac to a mug and ladle the mulled wine over it.        Recipe Source

Some people add honey or brown sugar instead of the sugar...and some use Cassis instead of Cognac (or - no extra liquor at all).  Let me know what you think of this!  I love it - and I'll be whipping some up on the first really cold night that we have!