Hot Spiced Christmas Wine

4.5
(76)
44 Reviews
6 Photos

This is a spicy, sweet holiday wine inspired by my trip to Germany, where a similar drink is a traditional part of winter celebrations.

Submitted by rainy
Updated on September 1, 2023
6
6
6
6
Servings:
12
Yield:
12 servings
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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 12 servings

  • 2 oranges

  • 2 (750 milliliter) bottles red wine

  • 1 (750 milliliter) bottle white wine

  • 1 (3 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

  • 3 cinnamon sticks

  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

  • ⅓ cup brown sugar, or to taste

  • ¼ cup brandy

Directions

  1. Use a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the oranges in strips, being careful to remove only the orange part, leaving the pith behind. Then, juice the oranges into a large, heavy-bottomed pot.

  2. Pour the red wine and white wine into the pot with the orange juice. Place the strips of orange zest, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and brown sugar into the pot with the wine mixture; stir to dissolve the sugar.

  3. Cover and heat over medium-high until heated through, but not boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and heat for an hour or longer to bring all of the flavors together. Adjust the sweetness by adding more brown sugar, as necessary. Strain and serve hot with a splash of brandy, if desired.

Cook’s Note

You can keep this wine over low heat (or in a slow cooker) for quite a while. As it heats, some of the alcohol in the wine will evaporate.

144 home cooks made it!