How to Make Mulled Spiced Wine
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SERVINGS:
6
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PREP TIME:
5 MINUTES
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COOK TIME:
20 MINUTES
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SKILL LEVEL:
EASY
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INGREDIENTS
SKILL LEVEL: EASY
4 c | |
1 tbsp | |
1 tbsp | |
2 tsp | |
2 whole | |
2 tsp | |
2 whole | |
1/2 inch | |
1/2 tsp | |
1/2 tsp | |
PREPARATION OF THIS HEALTHY RECIPE
1. Juice both lemons and oranges.
2. In a medium saucepan heat orange and lemon juice over a low flame. Toss in a few of the squeezed rinds of both lemon and orange. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and cardamom. This recipe works much better when you use whole spices and not powder. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Pour in the bottle of wine. Bring to a simmer (don't allow to boil) for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add honey to taste.
4. Use a ladle to serve avoiding whole spices. Garnish each glass with a strip of zest, a cinnamon stick, or both!
How Does This Ayurvedic Recipe Improve Wellness?
CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW
Warm, sweet, and refreshingly spicy, Mulled Spiced Wine is a traditional toasty remedy for cold winter nights. The dark, alluring burgundy shade of red wine warms you right up, dilates your blood vessels, and relaxes your entire body. Mixed with aromatic spices and a bright orange rind to garnish your glass, a mug of warmed spiced wine on chilly December evenings relaxes your whole body and provides the cozy comfort you crave around the fireplace.
Mulled Spiced Wine is a classic European recipe for the frosty wintertime and each country has their own special preparation for the holidays. In Sweden, Glogg is a version of spiced wine infused with raisins, almonds, and sometimes figs and is often served around Christmas time. In Germany, mulled wine is called Glohwein, which poetically translates to "glow-wine." Bisschopswijn, or "bishop's wine," is mulled wine of the Netherlands. Across the ocean in Chile, mulled wine it is called vino navega'o. which refers to the sailors who brought the recipe from Old Europe. The first documentation of spiced, heated wine dates all the way back to 2nd century A.D. in ancient Rome. In Ayurveda, a few tablespoons of medicated wines called "Drakshas" are a popular remedy for winter chills.
Relax Your Muscles
The combination of spices in Mulled Spiced Wine is a formula for relaxation of sore, tight muscles. Ginger and cardamom are both antispasmodic, meaning they relax your muscle tissue. This is great for tight muscles but also happens to be quite useful in colic, asthma, and the throbbing pain of a headache (caused by a spasm in blood vessels). Cinnamon, wine, and clove are circulatory stimulants, meaning that they help move stagnant blood that gets locked up in tight muscles. This brings a great deal of relief to those suffering from sore, tight muscles.
Lift Your Spirits in Dead of Winter
Mentally, and emotionally, a sip of spirits lifts the spirits. Mulled Spiced Wine is no exception. If the winter blues has you down, sipping a cup of this warm tonic with a loved one can be just what the doctor ordered. Of course, overindulgence is not recommended, so stick to just a small cup and sip slowly.
Common Cold Cure
Cardamom is also Ayurveda's most powerful mucus destroyer. As with all aromatics, cardamom is a diaphoretic that opens your pores, encouraging a mild sweat that cleanses the skin, aids low grade fevers, and cleanses the lymphatic system. It is a bronchodilator - helping to improve breathing in asthmatics.
Cinnamon, cloves, and ginger are all diaphoretics, meaning that they make you sweat! Your first and most powerful line of defense against pesky colds and flus is to "sweat it out." So, make a nice hot cup of Mulled Spiced Wine at your first inkling of illness, and see if you don't fight it off just fine.
Digestive Tonic
The string of winter holidays is quite taxing on your digestive system. Mulled Spiced Wine incorporates many tastes and effects that help your body stay strong in the winter. The sour taste of wine and lemon purge the gallbladder of bile, helping your body effectively digest heavy fats that abound at holiday feasts. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and clove are all spices that strengthen your digestive fire. Does the food sit stuck in your belly? Bitter lemon and orange zest clears stagnation in the upper GI tract so you feel relaxed and comfortable.
Mulled Spiced Wine may prove too hot for already-fiery Pitta constitutions. We suggest adding mulling spices to apple juice for a nice hot cider instead. Cold Vata and Kapha can add this recipe to their list of remedies for frigid winter.
AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT
Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances.
With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you.
Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature.
By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health.
See How it Works.