A spicy-sweet alcoholic treat to warm the cockles of your heart on a chilly day. And doing it this way stops you from boiling all the alcohol away!
- 1 bottle fruity red wine
- 1 large orange
- 1 satsuma, cut into thick slices
- 4 heaped tbsp sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 allspice berries
- 3 cloves
- 6 gratings of nutmeg
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into 3
- Pare long strips of zest off the orange, dropping the fragrant curls into a large saucepan
- Halve the orange and squeeze the juice into the pan
- Add the sugar, satsuma slices and spices to the pan
- Pour over roughly a glassful of wine and turn the heat on to medium-high
- Stir gently while the syrup bubbles, the sugar dissolves and it starts to smell of Christmas
- Boil and bubble for 4-5 min before pouring in the remainder of the bottle of wine
- Turn the heat down and warm the wine through without boiling it
- Sieve out the spices etc and serve piping hot
- Then get another bottle out, squeeze a new orange, grab the sugar jar and re-use the spices because everyone is going to want more!
Extra lovely served with cheese straws, smoked paprika and almond biscuits or caramelised chilli nuts.
Sophie cooks 