Mulled Wine

In December I met my friend Alesya for dinner. She asked if I ever had глинтвейн. Of course I had never heard of it because my Russian is horrible and then she translated it and I still had no idea what it was. She ordered them for us and I was in Heaven.

Fast forward to my St. Petersburg trip with Katherine and I suggest that we order them. We've been obsessed ever since. Any time we go to a restaurant that has mulled wine we text the other person to let them know. We decided that we would try to make our own to save some money and I'm glad we did. It was our first attempt and it turned out GREAT!

What you need:

• 1 (750 mL) bottle of dry red wine
• 1/4 cup Cognac (We used Cranberry Cognac, but you can also use rum or brandy)
• 1/4 cup of honey (or 1/3 cup of honey and 2 Tbs of sugar)
• 1 large orange (half for mix and half for garnish)
• 1 large apple (half for mix and half for garnish)
• 2 Tbs of cinnamon or 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 whole cloves

Directions 

1. Combine all the ingredients, including (except of the half fruits that will be used as garnish) into a non-aluminum pot. Cook on low bring the mixture to a simmer but not letting it boil. I have a gas stove so it heats up mixtures really quick. If you have an electric stove I would suggest setting it to medium-high until it starts to simmer and then setting it to low. 
2. Let simmer for 30 minutes-2 hours. I stirred often until the honey was complete dissolved.
3. Strain the mixture, and serve warm. Add additional fruit and cinnamon sticks to your glass for garnish. You can also eat the boozy fruits later.