Dwarven Mulled Wine

Join me as I make Dwarven Mulled Wine from Heroes’ Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook for the first time! Heroes’ Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook by Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, and Michael Witwer and published by Ten Speed Press on October 27, 2020. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/3GMAlXF

Pronounced by dwarven diplomats “the finest mulled wine this side of the material plane,” this mixed beverage is a multicultural affair. Originally crafted to celebrate the signing of the Swordsheath Scroll, which ended the Kinslayer War and sealed a treaty between the Thorbardin dwarves and the nearby Qualinesti elves of Krynn, dwarven drinksmiths combined their own full-bodied dragon’s wine and local spices with delicate, fresh fruits provided by the Qualinesti. The result was a perfectly balanced, spicy and sweet concoction that satisfied and warmed the insides of both groups as they spent cold winters constructing their shared fortress of Pax Tharkas. Years later, during the War of the Lance, this recipe was popularized by Lord Gunthar, Grand Master of the Knights of Solamnia, who would serve it to visiting knights (and himself) as a favorite nightcap. Flavored with orange slices, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves, this fruity and full-bodied wine packs a dwarven-size punch, but is sure to thaw your bones during Yuletide or any other time of year.

Serves 4

2 juice oranges, such as Valencia
8 whole cloves
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar, or to taste
1 (750-ml) bottle medium-bodied, fruity red wine, such as Merlot or Syrah
1 cinnamon stick
⅛ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brandy, or to taste

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the oranges in wide strips; reserve one strip for each drink and refrigerate, covered, until serving time. Stick the cloves into two or three of the remaining zest strips and set aside. Cut the zested oranges in half and juice them (which should yield about ¾ cup juice).

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the orange juice and brown sugar to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the wine, cinnamon stick, and orange zest (including the clove-studded pieces) and bring to a simmer. Adjust the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the wine is fragrant and infused, about 1 hour (do not allow it to boil). Add the vanilla and brandy and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, to blend the flavors, about 2 minutes more. Taste and adjust the flavor with additional brown sugar and/or brandy, if necessary. With a slotted spoon, remove and discard the cinnamon stick, orange zest, and cloves.

Meanwhile, fill one small mug or heatproof glass for each drinker with hot water to preheat them, about 2 minutes. Empty the mugs or glasses, ladle some of the wine into each, garnish with one of the reserved orange zest strips, and serve at once.

Cook’s Note

The flavor of mulled wine improves with rest, so consider starting it several hours ahead of time. Reheat it gently, careful to avoid boiling (which can cause an oxidized taste), then remove the aromatice and add the vanilla an brandy.

Mulled wine recipes vary widely. This one is heavy on the orange, light on the spice and sweetener, and includes brandy for a modest potency boost. However, it can be customized with different liqueurs such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or St-Germain, and spices such as cardamom pods, black peppercorns, or whole allspice.

Transcript

Cold Open

It’s a fruity enriched wine that will warm you up on a chilly afternoon.

Intro

Today I am making Dwarven Mulled Wine from Heroes’ Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook. If you have made this recipe, share your thoughts in the comments below!

Discussion

Seeing as I had no dwarven spirits available, this seemed like the next best recipe. I began as always by collecting my ingredients. Two oranges for juice, eight whole cloves, one-third cup brown sugar, one bottle of syrah, one cinnamon stick, one-eighth teaspoon of vanilla extract, and three tablespoons of brandy. I have to start this by saying, I do not like mixed drinks or cocktails. If I am going to drink alcohol, I want to taste it. That goes for liquors and wine alike. However, that would preclude me from making this drink, and seeing as its only one bottle of wine’s worth, I think I can manage to enjoy it.

I started by peeling the zest off the oranges. Most of this will go in a pot with the wine, but I need to keep a couple out for the drinks. Seeing as I am the only drinker in my household, I only needed one. Next I add the cloves to a few of the larger peels. Then I squish the oranges to help loosen the pulp for juicing, cut them each in half, and squeeze the juice out. This gave me about three-fourths a cup of orange juice. I added the juice and brown sugar to a large pan on medium heat, and simmered the juice until the sugar was dissolved.

Next, I added the bottle of wine, and cinnamon stick, mixing them until simmering. Then I turned down the heat to medium low and let it simmer for a full hour, stirring occasionally. I kept it partially covered to retain a little heat. After an hour, I added the vanilla and brandy, mixing it thoroughly for a couple of minutes. Lastly, I used a spoon with holes in it to take all of the ingredients out of the mulled wine, and took it off the heat.

I grabbed a mug and the orange peel, and added some of the wine to the mug, and twisted the zest of the orange to release its oils, and added it to the mixture . This tasted fruitier than expected, and it was a pleasant warming sensation going down. Afterall, a fella’s gotta’ do something to keep warm!