Mulling over a warm, spicy drink

WHEN you come in from the cold on a winter’s day, there is nothing so inviting as the warm, heady aroma of a mulled drink simmering away.

Spicy, warming, fragrant and aromatic, mulling is an easy way to make delicious drinks to share with your family and friends, and will make your house smell delightful. The process is simple, and involves heating a chosen brew with spices. Traditionally, the main ingredients are a combination of cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and whole cloves. Mulled is a label that we associate with wine, but it can be applied to non-alcoholic treats, such as mulled apple juice and pear, elderberry or cranberry juice, or other alcoholic drinks, such as cider, beer, port or mead.

During the Middle Ages, mulled wine was called Hipocris, after Hippocrates, because it was thought to have medicinal properties. Since drinking water could kill you, there were health benefits in drinking hot, spiced wine instead.