Yield: 8-10 servings

My husband and I aren’t really the sit-on-a-beach-for-a-week types, so instead of a beach vaca for our honeymoon, we went skiing in Switzerland – pretty amazing! After our days on the slopes, we would get to the bottom of the mountain and hit up the bars for an apres-ski – and had for the first time Gluhwein, or more commonly known here as mulled wine.

The cloves and cinnamon add just the right amount of spice, and some sugar and orange add sweetness. Putting the cloves into the orange slices isn’t just decorative – its actually convenient so you don’t have to go fishing around for the cloves when you are ready to serve the warm, spicy drink. (This is a step, as you can see from the picture above, that I didn’t come to understand until I had made this recipe a few times…)

I will say in full disclosure that I have been known to whip up a batch of this cozy treat on a cold day, put it into a to-go mug and bring it to a pedicure. Am I allowed to say that? Regardless, it takes relaxation up a notch, and so I highly recommend.

It’s also the perfect drink to serve at a holiday gathering. You can double the batch, put it on the stove, and allow guests to serve themselves a warm mug. Wanna get fancy? Serve the hot wine in Israeli-style glass mugs like these.

Happy relaxing (and drinking)!

Gluhwein (Mulled Wine)

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

2-3 cinnamon sticks

1 bottle red wine

1 orange

10-12 cloves

Directions

Cut orange into slices and place cloves into the orange peel.

Heat water, sugar and cinnamon sticks in a medium-large saucepan until sugar is dissolved completely.

Add wine and bring to simmer, but don't let it boil. Continue to heat wine for 20-30 minutes. Serve in mugs and garnish with cinnamon stick and slices of orange.