I was looking for something in the bulk aisle at the grocery store and came across a mulling spice mix of coriander, cloves, allspice, orange peel and cinnamon. I have made mulled wine before using a recipe and my own spices, but I did not care for it. This entire baggy cost only $0.42, so I figured it was worth experimenting.

Mulled Merlot

I used about a half-bottle of Pellegrini Cloverdale Valley 2007 Merlot, but if mulled wine isn’t your thing, I’m sure apple juice or cider would be yummy.

The recipe on the label suggests 1/4 c. spice mix per 1/2 gal. beverage, but I used about 1 T for my half-bottle of wine. (That’s how much fit in my tea strainer, which I used to encapsulate the mulling spice.) I brought the wine to a low boil and then turned down the heat to simmer for about five minutes. I let it cool on the stove, then poured it into the carafe. It made about two traditional cups of wine or one coffee mug’s worth. (Since it was warm, I felt like sipping it from a coffee mug instead of a wine glass.)

I wish I knew the proportions to share the recipe with you, but you might just experiment with the above mix of spices. I would go easy on the cloves, though, because that’s one of the reasons why I didn’t like the homemade batch that I tried previously. It was way too clovey.

There’s still plenty of spice mix left, so I think I’ll try a batch of apple juice and see how the boys like it.