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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/1⅓ 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)

Directions

  1. 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.
  2. Strain the tea and discard the tea bags or leaves. Pour the tea and the pomegranate juice into a pan.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.