A Healthy Holiday Cocktail For All the Eggnog-Haters

November 18, 2015Cocktails, Healthy Living, Healthy Recipes, WineBy Michele Foley

During the holiday season, I love having warm spiced cocktails like eggnog and hot buttered rum to help warm me up in chillier temps. The downside is the astronomical amount of sugar and fat contained in these holiday classics. A nice alternative to these dairy-based drinks is mulled wine. It’s served warm and uses all the spices associated with the holidays but contains zero fat, and its star ingredient is heart-healthy red wine. Adding to mulled wine’s appeal is that it also make a great cocktail for parties; it’s easy to make ahead of time and can be done in large batches. Who doesn’t want things to be as simple as possible when it comes to planning a holiday party?

From Michele Foley, POPSUGAR Fitness

Mulled Wine

Notes

This recipe is easily adaptable. Play around with the spices to better suits your tastes, and feel free to use different fruit for the garnish.

Ingredients

1.5 liter bottle of inexpensive red wine

Zest from 1 lemon

Zest from 1 orange

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon cloves

1/2 tablespoon ginger

1/2 tablespoon nutmeg

Honey or agave nectar, to taste

Orange slices or cinnamon sticks for garnish

Directions

To make this recipe you will need an empty tea satchel for the spices. As an alternative, whole spices can be substituted for the ground spices. If using whole spices, tie them together in a cheesecloth or use a stainless steel tea infuser.

Pour wine into large saucepan and cook over low heat.
Add lemon and orange zest to the wine.
Place the spices into an empty tea satchel. Put the satchel into the saucepan and brew the mixture for 30 minutes.
Add sweetener of your choice to taste.
Pour the wine through a strainer and serve in heatproof glasses. Garnish each glass with a sliced orange or cinnamon stick.