You can't boil a kettle! How do sommeliers and bartenders prepare it?
There is truth in wine! In the mulled wine, the harmonious interplay of spices, notes of fruit and caramel, and the aftertaste of spicy alcohol will also come through. For a mulled wine to taste better than good, there are a few rules to follow - from the choice of bottle to the combination of flavours and the right temperature of the wine. Which recipe do you rely on?
Like a sommelier
The essence of a mulled wine is (how else but) the wine. "Both white and red wine are suitable for a mulled wine. lower acidity, rich fruit flavour and fewer tannins," advises sommelier Roman Novotný from Bokovka. "It should be of good quality, but it certainly doesn't have to be one of the most expensive ones. Adequate prices are around CZK 200, and I recommend trying a larger bag-in-box - five litres of wine will cost CZK 350 to 500."
Many sommeliers choose varieties such as Pinot Noir or Merlot. "We chose Frankincense, for its fruity, mainly cherry notes. Although it contains more pronounced tannins, these keep the brew fresher for longer. In addition, the taste and aroma of Frankovka contains cinnamon, which should not be missing in the drink," recalls bartender Rudolf Forman from Bar, which does not exist.
The success of mulled wine lies primarily in in the base of fresh spices. Cinnamon, cloves, anise, cardamom and star anise, but also nutmeg, juniper, coriander and ginger, vanilla or pepper are cooked separately and in advance! "A lot of people just throw the spices into the hot wine and let it infuse. But that's not enough! The important thing is to make a broth with caramelized sugar," emphasises Roman, pointing out another common mistake:
"The correct way is not to boil the wine, but the spices. The decoction is then stirred into the wine, which is heated to temperature. between 60 and 78 °C. The boiling would evaporate the alcohol and partly the flavour and aroma of the spices. Higher temperatures can also alter the flavour profile of the wine.'
Bokovka brew (for 1½ litres of wine)
- 150 g sugar (or honey)
- 8 cloves
- 3 whole cinnamons
- 3 star anise
- 2 bottles of wine
- silk sock or spice bag for sauces
Procedure:
- Place the cloves, cinnamon and star anise in the sock or spice bag.
- In a large saucepan, bring 200 to 300 ml of water to the boil and add 150 g of sugar or honey. Allow to caramelise slightly.
- Place the sock or spice bag in the saucepan and cook for 15 minutes. Cool to about 50 °C. If you don't have a thermometer, use your sense of smell - the cooled decoction is drinkable and doesn't burn your soaked finger.
- Top up the spiced broth with wine and heat slowly. When foam appears, take off the heat and serve.
Service: Crown the brew with a slice of orange and garnish with raisins or prunes.
Brewers behind the bar
Most baristas and bartenders have their own brewers on hand of vodka syrupwhich is poured (or whisked through a nozzle) into the warm wine and serves the same role as broth - it maximises the aroma and flavour of the spices. At Kro Kitchen, they make a syrup that will last in the fridge all winter.
For 2½ litres of syrup:
- 1 kg oranges
- 4 whole cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 10 cloves
- 10 g allspice
- 10 g black peppercorns
- 2 kg cane sugar
- ½ l water
- Peel the oranges and squeeze out the juice.
- Dry roast all the spices in a frying pan and crush in a blender or mortar.
- Melt the sugar to a caramel, pour in the orange juice and water and bring to the boil.
- Add the spices and orange zest to the pot. Leave to infuse overnight.
- The next day, strain the syrup and pour into a sealable jar. Keep refrigerated.
In Karlin Esca they pour into a cup a brew of 150 ml of red wine and 30 ml of of caramel-citrus syrup.
For home preparation:
- 1 kg (brown) sugar
- 1 l of water
- 25 g star anise
- 20 g cloves
- 30 g whole cinnamon
- 10 g allspice
- zest of 1 lemon and orange
- Melt the sugar into brown (not burnt!) caramel and pour in the water.
- Stir in the coarsely crushed cinnamon, cloves and star anise, whole allspice balls and orange and lemon zest.
- Cook over a low (!) heat until the caramel dissolves in the water. This will take about 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the stove and cover with a lid. Let cool and macerate at room temperature until the next day.
- Strain the finished syrup, strain and refrigerate, ideally in the fridge.
Until the last peel! The remaining orange and lemon zest, which has been simmering overnight in a caramel and spice broth, is like candied fruit - the soft slices are easy to cut into smaller pieces, dry and use in biscuit dough and Christmas schola, or simply roll in melted chocolate and eat straight away when chilled.
A cooker with everything!
The bartenders credit the tips for the mulled wine a splash of hard liquorbecause it can add layers of flavour. At Café Savoy, they're betting on port.and elsewhere they're opening amaretto and a fine fruit liqueur. "For a balanced taste and more fun, I'd add a shot of bourbon, cognac or other aged brandy...right into the syrup. This will prolong its life," advises Pavel Sochor of Kro bistro bar and suggests:
"A fortified wine of the type sherry or vermouthsuch as Lustau Rosso, Cocchi Torino or Antica Formula."
Less can mean more! In the Bar That Doesn't Exist, they have combined just three ingredients - in addition to Frankenfood, they have invited rum and maple syrup. "We wanted to move away from star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Honestly made classics have their own charm, but this time we decided to mix a slightly more innovative version for our guests," says Rudolf, describing:
"We emphasised the fruitiness of the wine with Agricole rum, which is made from fresh sugar cane and is not as spicy. We used maple syrup to sweeten the wine - it rounds out the overall flavour without overpowering the character of the Franka."
Guaranteed advice:
Watch the time! Cloves, cinnamon and other spices shouldn't be cooked too long, lest they turn bitter. This also applies to citrus zest (from non-chemically treated oranges, lemons or limes!), which is commonly stirred into a base of spices and sugar - just like citrus juice.
For citrus, watch out for the pulp! For fruit that has been left in the brew for a long time, peel it carefully and "fillet" it thin white skins. These could give the wine a bitter taste.
Combine with care! Traditionally, red wine is paired with berries, while white wine suits apples or perhaps dried apricots.
You can "finish" the mulled wine! Stir the unfinished beverage into cake batter or (chocolate) muffin batter. Cold mulled wine (and punch) can be used as an aromatic base for Christmas cocktails.
Sources: Ambiente baristas, sommeliers from Bokovka, Kro kitchen, Lidi z Baru
