You all may recall The Guru’s post from last month about Fall Sangria and how much while we enjoyed the fall recipe we couldn’t help but think that as it continued to get colder outside it might be even better served warm. Since we only used half the bottle of the Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto for that last recipe this weekend I did a bit of experimenting and here is my modified recipe:
Sandeman Mulled Port
Ingredients
1/2 bottle of Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto
12 oz apple cider
1 oz bourbon
1 oz maple syrup
1/2 red delicious apple
1/2 orange
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbs. mulling spices
Directions
I sliced the apple and orange into rounds and saved half of each (partly because that much wasn’t needed for only a half volume size of the recipe and so I had leftovers to use as garnish later). Mix all liquid ingredients together in a slow cooker set on low. Add in apple and orange rounds, and 1 cinnamon stick and 2 Tbs. of you mulling spice of choice. (My spice is loose and I typically put it in a tea ball for easy retrieval later it contains: cracked cassia, cloves, allspice, cardamom seeds, and mace) Let sit for about 2 hours. I served it in an Irish coffee mug that I garnished with an extra orange slice.
Overall this experiment was definitely a success. The cinnamon stick and mulling spices came through but didn’t overwhelm the port itself. The orange was also a nice change up from the pear in the previous Fall Sangria recipe because it held up really well to the heat and added a nice fresh citrus note in the background that I think needed to be there to balance the spices. I love mulling wine during the winter and I think this is a recipe that will probably be repeated by us very soon. This would also be great for upcoming Holiday cocktail parties.