Winter is the season for warm, spiced drinks!

This special blend of mulling spices is perfect for icy winters, with the added benefit of being a tasty immune booster. 

What you’ll need 

• 1 jar of our signature mulling spices (42g)

• 1 bottle of well rounded, juicy wine. We like to choose local vineyards that focus on traditional eco-friendly agricultural methods. As for grape varieties, we like using merlot, gamay, grenache or nebbiolo. Blends also work well.

• 1 orange, preferably organic

• 1 1/4 cup water

• 5+ Tbsp honey 

For those that were not able to grab a jar of our immune boosting mulling spices at Lake Life Studio, here are our ratios. We love working with organic herbs and spices.

• 3 g whole cloves

• 7 g true cinnamon bark chips

• 5 g whole allspice

• 7 g elderberries

• 4 g whole cardamon pods

• 6 g shredded astragalus root

• 10 g whole star anise 

Our blend of herbs is special because it has an affinity to the immune system. It features elderberries and astragalus.

Elderberries

Elderberries are exceptional during colds, flu, cough and sore throat due to their diaphoretic and antiviral actions. Diaphoretic means that it helps you sweat so you can move out cellular (micro) pathogens when you have a fever. Elderberries are also an expectorant, this means it helps move mucus out of the body. 

Elderberry is perfect to take at the onset of any cold or flu as it can reduce the duration of cold/flu because it interferes with virus replication, and strengthens cell walls to inhibit viral penetration. 

When elderberries are used within the first two days of the onset of flu symptoms, it can shorten the duration of flu symptoms by an average of four days.

Elderberries are packed with antioxidants making them good for the immune system, heart health, blood sugar regulation and skin health.

Astragalus

Astragalus has antioxidants and complex sugars that help support the immune system. 

The components of astragalus can increase white blood cells and antibodies which are good for fighting infections. Astragalus is commonly used for its anti-viral effect. Astragalus is also an adaptogen, meaning it helps the body’s ability to build stress resilience. Astragalus can also be used prevent individuals from becoming sick as a preventative measure; this is how this herb has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine.

The Process

Choose a heavy weight pot and put on med-low heat. Add in all the spices. This will lightly toast them and bring out their aroma. Only do this until you can start to smell yummy fragrance, approx. 1 minute. Then take off the heat. No need to go overboard here and burn them. Optional super star move: We like to smash up the spices in a mortar and pestle prior to toasting them. We have a mortar and pestle, but we appreciate that most folks don’t, hence “optional”.

Pour in one cup of the red wine and the water. 

Now for the orange. Two tasks here: juicing and removing the rind. Give the orange a nice wash, to remove contaminants. If you cannot find an organic orange you can soak the orange in some baking soda and water. This can help to remove the chemical residues on the peel. It is WAY easier to peel an un-juiced orange. So peel first.  Use a vegetable peeler and take off all outer bright orange rind. Put 2 strips into the pot with the liquid and spices. Next, juice the orange (can use a hand reamer) and add that into the pot. Set aside the remaining peels to dry. They can be used for future mulled drinks or aromatic sachets for the closet. They are also great as an addition to a cocktail bitters recipe (more on that later).

Put this delicious concoction back onto medium-ish heat —“ish” here, because everyone’s stovetop is different. What we are looking for is a gentle simmer. Not boiling. The goal of this stage is to make a super concentrated liquid that will infuse the rest of the wine. In herbal medicine we call this a decoction. If we were to add all the wine in now we would loose all the alcohol and change the flavour of the wine too much. This is the time consuming part that most people skip. Our strong suggestion: do not skip this. It is truly what makes the difference between awesome mulled wine and mediocre mulled wine, and we have only learned this by tedious trial and error. Simmer this for at least 45 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half. I like to trap some of the volatile oils that are billowing out in the steam, by partially covering the pot with a lid, allowing steam to escape so the liquid can reduce. Volatile oils are the smelly components of herbs and are incredibly antiseptic and carminative. This means that they modulate microbial ecosystems in favour of beneficial strains and soothe the nervous system and mucus membranes when they are inflamed. Historically a lot of the mulling spices go back to days where pungent herbs were to compensate for spoiled meats and were also used as protection during the plague!

After the liquid has reduced and your house smells amazing, it it time to make a syrup. Add the honey and stir to dissolve. If you want it sweeter add more honey. We focus on honey, maple syrup and a few other whole food sweeteners in our kitchen. Some folks do not digest fruit and sugar well together, so using honey in this recipe makes this easily digested for most people. 

Now add in the rest of the wine. Stir and taste. There should be notes of citrus and warming spices. Not painfully sweet but definitely trending towards a yummy dessert.

There are a few ways to serve… one could ladle it out with spices intact, ladled through a sieve or strain out all the liquid from the herbs and then serve. I love the aesthetic of having the herbs floating in the wine while the pot is on the stove, so I usually go for option #2. I like to use fun mugs, ornate tea cups or stemless wine goblets. 

Perfectly paired with a hot soak, good company or a crackling fire. Cheers!

The disclaimer…. The amazing thing about humans is that we all have incomparably unique health profiles and needs. The health-related information contained in this article is intended to be general in nature and should not be used prescriptively or a as a substitute for a visit with a naturopathic doctor. This recipe is intended to offer general information to individuals. Here at The Health Creation Lab, we are strong advocates of conscious alcohol consumption; this recipe is not intended to promote the consumption of alcohol outside of healthy limits. If you have a disordered relationship with alcohol, we suggest substituting cold pressed organic apple cider as a substitute for wine. If you have questions about how this recipe could be used in adjunct to your current heath regime, consult a licensed naturopathic doctor for individualized care.