Mulling over Tier 4 with some homemade mulled wine

A delicious grapefruit rosé mulled wine recipe to wipe away those Tier 4 tears.

Tis the season for vast disappointment it seems. I cannot even believe that with only four days before Christmas, London has been put into Tier 4. Families are now kept apart, and many people will probably be spending Christmas alone.

That would’ve been me. I was meant to go down to Exeter this Wednesday to spend Christmas with my dad, but now we will be separated for Christmas for the first time ever in my entire life. Luckily, he won’t be alone. But it’s still very upsetting this has been the outcome.

The news was announced the day before I was meant to fly home to London from New York. I actually fly out from Newark Airport in New Jersey, so it’s a four hour drive to even get to the airport from Upstate New York where I am staying. If Tier 4 had been announced today, I would’ve been so stuck. I would’ve been halfway to the airport and probably would not have turned back.

I am so grateful that instead of flying back to London to spend Christmas alone in an undecorated London flat, I can now stay here in New York and spend it with my mom.

Thinking it was our last day together yesterday, I made us some homemade mulled wine to lighten the somber mood. It turned out so wonderful that I thought I should share the recipe. Seeing as how people will be stuck at home now looking for things to do, making this mulled wine will surely put a smile on your face and warm you from the inside out, even if only for a brief moment.

Some background to this recipe. My mom is allergic to oranges, which means she has actually never had mulled wine before. Nevertheless, I wanted to make us some and figured there must be a way to make it taste like normal mulled wine, without adding any oranges.

I came up with a grapefruit rosé mulled wine recipe. I thought red mulled wine just wouldn’t be the same without oranges, so we opted for a rosé.

Tequila is also delicious in this too for Mexican-style Mulled Wine

Here’s how to make it

Ingredients:

1 large grapefruit
2 bottles of rosé of choice (I would go for one that’s not too sweet )
1/2 cup sugar
12 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, further cut into individual slices
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg (or grated fresh nutmeg)
Just under a teaspoon of anise seeds (or three whole star anise, but I couldn’t find them anywhere!)
1/2 cup of brandy (or tequila. I know, it sounds crazy, but trust me – it’s delicious! Mexican-style Mulled Wine, yes please!)

Method:

Wash your grapefruit well and, either using a knife or a peeler, cut large ribbons of the peel. Then juice the remaining fruit.
In a large pot, add the peel, juice, sugar, anise seeds, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, and one cup of rosé wine.
Over high heat, bring to a boil until the mixture is bubbling.
Once boiling, reduce to a low heat. Cover and let simmer for around 20 minutes.

Add in the rest of the rosé wine and brandy. Heat until it’s hot, but not too hot (I just dipped my finger to judge).
Strain the mixture and serve in a cup of your choice. Garnish with more cinnamon sticks, cloves, and some more grapefruit slices if you like.