Pumpkin Spice Mulled Wine (Travel Memory+Book Recommendation)

Sometimes we all need to embrace our inner basic bitch, to give in to the desires of red wine and pumpkin spice while wearing Uggs. Last night, I created a simple version of mulled wine with pumpkin pie spice that satisfied my basic bitch urge using only 4 ingredients!

The first time I had mulled wine was during my study abroad in England and, my stars, was it a revelation. The United Kingdom has had a long-standing tradition of serving mulled wine in the colder months, and my love affair began at first delicate sip. Never before had I tasted something so warm, comforting, and boozy. When I asked my British friend how to make it, she gave me a long list of herbs, spices, and fruits. This slightly turned me off to making it, because when I come home from a long day and need a drink, it’s all too simple to just pop a cork and drink some room temperature wine, thank you very much!

Last night, as I sat in my favorite chair reading “Outlander,” (Side note: This is my new/old favorite book series. Why new/old? Because when this steamy, historic romance novel set in Scotland came out in the 90’s my Mommy said I was too young to read it… So I secretly absconded with the book when she wasn’t at home and read it in bits... Sorry Mom! That being said, now that I’m old enough to read it openly, I still feel like I’m doing something I’m not supposed to. But seriously, read it, watch the show on Starz, love it, live it, but don’t touch the standing stones! Or go right ahead…) I got a craving for mulled wine. The main character in the book was served it after coming inside from bitter cold, and the description was so vivid and lovely that I decided to try making a shortcut version.

While I rummaged through my spice rack, I realized that all the standard spices in mulled wine come conveniently packaged in a little bottle of pumpkin pie spice. Then, all I needed was wine, brown sugar, and an orange. Basic bitches everywhere, rejoice!

Preparation:

1 bottle of sweet red wine (the sweeter the wine, the less sugar you’ll need to add)

Pumpkin pie spice

Brown sugar (you can use regular sugar but I found brown sugar added some depth)

1 orange (Juice and peel)

Performance:

I set a medium sized pan on the stove and turned the stove on to medium low. The medium low heat is important because YOU DO NOT WANT THE WINE TO BOIL OR YOU WILL COOK OFF THE BOOZE! Which is no fun! Anyways, I added the wine and about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice and about 4 tablespoons of brown sugar (I’m not giving you precise measurements because I want you to experiment). Then I peeled the orange, squeezed the skin to release the orange oils, and dropped the skins into the pot. I seized the now naked orange and squeezed the juice, satisfyingly, into the pot. I allowed the pot to come to the barest simmer, then tasted. It was exactly what I wanted. Served with a wedge of orange and a cinnamon stick, it was just as pretty as it tasted.