Ingredients

• 2 oranges or Clementine’s (if you can find)
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 200 g caster sugar
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 thumb sized ginger, grated
• 4 cardamom pods
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1 whole nutmeg, for grating
• 1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways
• 2 star anise
• 2 bottles red wine
• 2 tbsp brandy, optional

Method

1. Peel large sections of the rind from your oranges, lemon and lime using a vegetable peeler.
2. Put the sugar in a large pot over a medium heat, add the pieces of rind and squeeze in the orange juice.
3. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger, cardamom, bay leaves and about 10 - 12 gratings of nutmeg. Throw in your halved vanilla pod and stir in just enough red wine to cover the sugar.
4. Let this mixture simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved into the red wine. Then bring it to the boil. Keep on a rolling boil for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until you’ve got a beautiful thick syrup. The reason for doing this first, is to create a wonderful flavour base by really getting the sugar and spices to infuse and blend well with the wine. It’s important to make a syrup base first because it needs to be quite hot, and if you do this using both bottles of wine, you will burn off the alcohol.
5. When the syrup is ready, turn the heat down to low and add your star anise and the rest of the wine and brandy.
6. Gently heat the wine and once it’s warm and delicious (after 5 – 10 mins), ladle it into glasses, serve and enjoy.
Tip
7. Jamie suggests leaving the pot on a very low heat while you and your friend’s are enjoying your first glass of glühwein…as this just adds more spicy flavour to your next glass!