Winter cup
This fruity non-alcoholic mulled wine is brimming with citrus and spice, and perfect for winter parties. I’ve used a mix of English breakfast tea and pomegranate juice in this version. The tea is steeped for 20 minutes, giving it a robust tannic flavour. Combined with tart pomegranate juice, it makes a rich, gutsy stand-in for red wine.
Ingredients
- 2 English breakfast tea bags or 3 tbsp tea leaves
- 250ml/8½fl oz boiling water
- 750ml/1â…“ pints pomegranate juice
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 lime, sliced
- 6 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 75ml/2½fl oz sugar syrup (see recipe tip)
Method
Make the tea by putting the tea bags or tea leaves in a heatproof jug, pour over the boiling water and leave to steep for 15 minutes to make a really strong brew.
Strain the tea and discard the tea bags or leaves. Pour the tea and the pomegranate juice into a pan.
Stud a couple of the fruit slices with the cloves, then add all the fruit to the pan. Drop in the cinnamon sticks and star anise.
Set the pan over a medium heat, pop on a lid and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours. Pour in the sugar syrup, stir and taste. Add a little more syrup if you think it needs it. Ladle into heatproof glasses or mugs and serve.
Recipe Tips
This recipe is easily doubled, tripled or even quadrupled if you have a pan – and party – big enough.
You can buy sugar syrup but it’s very easy to make your own. Simply mix 100g/3½oz caster sugar and 50ml/2fl oz water in a saucepan. Stir and bring to the boil. Once the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear, take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.
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