Mulled Wine

1. 1Pour about 250 ml of the wine into a large pan with the sugar, orange peel and all the spices. Warm gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
2. 2Let that concentrated mixture bubble very gently for 4–5 minutes to form a spiced syrup. Doing this with a small amount of wine first extracts far more from the spices than steeping them in the full volume.
3. 3Turn the heat down low and pour in the remaining wine. From here it must never boil: hold it at around 70°C, where it steams gently but no bubbles break the surface. Boiling drives off the alcohol and makes it taste stewed.
4. 4Warm it at that temperature for at least 20 minutes, and up to an hour if you have it. The longer it sits, the rounder the spice.
5. 5Stir in the brandy, if using, right at the end so its own flavour survives.
6. 6Taste and adjust the sugar. Wines vary enormously in how dry they are, so season the pot in front of you rather than trusting the quantity above.
7. 7Strain out the whole spices, or leave them in for looks. Ladle into heatproof glasses and add a fresh orange slice to each.

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