Family Feed's Mulled Syrups
I have two different syrup recipes to share with you. The first is my Mulled Cider Syrup which is thicker and sweeter than it's mulled wine equivalent. Both make great gifts for friends and family. I make the syrups because they give a warm but subtle flavour. They are so much better than throwing the spices in with the wine and they allow you to make nonalcoholic mulled drinks too - you can substitute apple juice for cider, although I would use less syrup as it might be a touch too sweet.
Ingredients
Mulled Cider - This makes enough syrup for 4 liters of dry cider. However tastes vary and you may wish to experiment.
- 22 cloves
- 3 star anise
- 2 sticks of cinnamon
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 500 g of caster sugar
- 1 l of water
Mulled wine syrup - This makes enough syrup for 2 bottles of wine
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1/3 nutmeg ground
- 2 star anise
- 2 cardamon pods
- 14 cloves
- 250 g sugar
- 1 l water
- 1 lemon
- 2 oranges
Instructions
Mulled Cider Syrup
- In a pan, on a medium heat, add your spices and add the peel of 1 orange and 1 lemon
- Add the sugar and cover with water
- Stir the ingredients together and heat gently for 5 minutes or until the sugar has fully dissolved. Cook for 15 minutes on a low simmer.
- Then for the last 5 minutes bring the syrup to a boil and remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes before handling. Be really careful when handling the syrup it will be unbelivibly hot. I never make this around the children.
- Once cool decant your syrup in to a steralised jar/bottle. I always leave the peel/spices in this syrup and roughly strain them off at the point of using it.
To make mulled cider
- Add 1/2 the mulled cider syrup to a pan along with some sliced orange and bring to the boil.
- Add 2 liters of still dry cider and gently warm
- As soon as the cider starts to show a hint of steaming, remove from the heat and serve immediatly. You will cook off the alcohol if you allow it to continue cooking
- To serve add a measure of rum to the bottom of your tumbler/glass/ mug and cover with hot mulled cider
Mulled Wine Syrup
- Peel 2 oranges and lemons and then cut them in half
- In a pan add your cardamon pods, cinnemon, cloves and grated nutmeg
- Then add your lemon and orange peel, sugar, halves of lemons and oranges, cover with water and stir
- Gently simmer the syrup for 20 minutes, stir for the first few or until the sugar has disolved
- In the video I am steralising my muslin cloth in another pan ready to strain the syrup
- After 20 miutes remove the syrup from the heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Be really careful when handling the syrup it will be unbelivibly hot. I never make this around the children.
- Once cooled strain your syrup in to a clean and steralised pan. This syrup is much thinner and it pays to strain through muslin to catch some of the grated nutme.
- Carefully decant your syrup in to steralised bottles (this quantity fills 2 x 500ml)
To make mulled wine
- Add 500ml syrup to a pan and bring to a boil
- Cover with 1 bottle of red wine and gently warm
- As soon as the cider starts to show a hint of steam, remove from the heat and serve immediatly. You will cook off the alcohol if you allow it to continue cooking.
- To serve to add a measure of brandy or rum to the bottom of your tumbler/glass/ mug and cover with hot mulled wine