If you’re gonna have a holiday get together (and you should) then you don’t want to miss a chance to sip (or chug) some delicious Vin Brule. If you’ve been to Florence in the winter, there’s a chance you stumbled across the Christmas market in Santa Croce and sampled some delicious, warm, and cozy spiced wine. In December, I swing by the market as much as humanly possible and drink my weight in this stuff because it tastes amazing but also because it makes me feel like I’m being rocked in the womb again. It’s my favorite holiday drink, followed closely by spiked eggnog. Spiced wine is honestly the only reason I have a holiday party. The best part? It’s easy af.
All you need to make spiced wine or Vin Brule:
Lemon Zest of one lemon
Orange Zest of two oranges
1 T Cloves
4 Star Anise
2 Cinnamon sticks
3 Liters of Red Wine
2 T Raw sugar
Put the wine in a metal pot. Add the zest and spices. Put it on medium heat and once it starts warming up and steaming a little turn it down to low and let it simmer for about twenty minutes. The important part is to NOT LET IT BOIL because then you’ll remove the alcohol and that’s no fun for anyone.
Look at me, Martha fucking Stewart, everyone!
Happy Holidays!!!
Questions or comments about my recipe? Put them in the comments below.