There’s nothing better than the week between Christmas and New Year. You’ve got nowhere to go, time off work and lots of food in the house. The perfect time to kick-back and relax with a hot spiced drink and a festive film. Mulled wine, spiced apple juice, mulled cider or buttered rum – all will deliver the same hug-in-a-mug feeling and can even be classed as a ‘medicinal’ hot toddy if you’ve caught a winter sniffle (that’s my excuse anyway). 
Traditional Mulled drink recipe:
- Peel and juice 1 orange, and add to a large saucepan along with lemon peel, 75g caster sugar and cloves, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, mixed spice and a pinch of grated nutmeg. Add enough wine, cider or apple juice (depending on your choice of drink) to just cover the sugar, and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 – 8 minutes until you have a thick syrup.
- Turn the heat down, and pour the rest of the bottle of wine, cider or apple juice carton into the saucepan, along with 75ml ginger wine, orange juice or cranberry juice (again, your preference). Float a sliced orange in the pan and heat through gently. Serve with the orange slices as a garnish.
If you want an even boozier option, make up a batch of spiced apple juice, add a little cider instead of the ginger wine/orange/apple juice and serve in a mug with a shot of rum in each drink and a little knob of butter floating on the top for a gorgeous buttered rum – a drink that I first had at a traditional Thanksgiving dinner – very festive and very boozy! Give these recipes a go this week and choose your favourite to serve at your New Years Eve party!
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