RECIPE FROM OUR BEACH HOUSE: TEA-INFUSED MULLED WINE

Living in Cayman, you don’t really encounter mulled wine during the Christmas season. Usually associated with colder climes, this traditional holiday drink is a delicious concoction of wine, fruit and spices, meant to warm the soul.
 
For the holiday edition of our Tea Time Happy Hour taking place on Friday, 12 December (in partnership with Tea Time in Cayman and Jacques Scott), our Beach House will be offering a fun twist on the traditional recipe with Tea-Infused Mulled Wine to help you get into the holiday spirit. Check out the easy-to-follow recipe below!
 
It wasn’t until the 14th century that the drink gained its name from an Old English word meaning ‘muddled.’ It is thought that the process of mulling wine was first employed as a way to save wine that was about to spoil.
Fun fact: Did you know that Charles Dickens gets the credit for elevating mulled wine into a traditional holiday beverage? While mulled wine appeared in several of the beloved novelist’s books, it was its appearance in his popular short story, A Christmas Carol that sealed its place in Christmas culinary history.
 
Ingredients:
 
One bottle of Pinot Noir (or any dry red wine)
1 cup of orange juice
½ cup of water
½ cup of brown sugar
Tea Time in Cayman’s Christmas in Cayman loose leaf tea
3 cinnamon sticks
A few slices of dried orange and apple
Will make 4-6 servings
 
Directions:
In a large pot on the stove, slowly heat the Pinot Noir until it begins to steam. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
Reduce heat to medium and add orange juice, water, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks and 1 very full tea pocket of Tea Time in Cayman’s Christmas in Cayman loose-leaf tea.
Simmer for 15 minutes; remove cinnamon sticks & tea for a balanced flavour.
Last but not least, garnish with dried orange and apple.
 
Sources:
http://grape.com/mulled-winehistory-recipe/