Mulled Wine Recipe

The weather might be warming up, but March 3rd just happens to be mulled wine day – and that’s a day we want to celebrate! Callie Stein, P50’s Registered Nurse, is here to give you a delicious recipe AND the health benefits. Cheers!

Ingredients

• 1 750mL-bottle of red wine – best type for heart health would be Spanish wine that contains Tempranillo red grapes, such as Rioja. (Truly, any dry red wine would work.)
•  2 cups apple cider
•  1/4 cup honey
•  1 orange — zested and juiced
• 5 whole cloves
• 2-4 cinnamon sticks
• 1-3 whole star anise
• 1/4 cup brandy (optional)
• Orange slices —  garnish
• Cinnamon sticks —  garnish

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. 
2. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. 
3. Remove whole spices. Serve in heatproof glasses or mugs. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and / or orange slice.

 

Health benefits: 

• Polyphenols, the antioxidants found in red wine, can help to keep blood vessels flexible and reduce the risk of unwanted clotting.  
• Tempranillo red grapes—which are used to make certain red wines, like Rioja—may actually have a significant effect on cholesterol levels by reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.
• Resveratrol is a naturally occurring compound found in foods such as red grapes, red wine, raspberries, and dark chocolate – and it helps boost memory! It also helps to remove chemicals responsible for causing blood clots, which, in turn, reduces your chance of having a stroke.
•  Thanks to the antioxidants packed inside red grapes, they fight off infections and protect cells against the effects of free radicals.
• Cinnamon sticks provide a potent anti-inflammatory activity, which can reduce swelling and restore normal tissue function – not to mention ease arthritic aches and pains.
• Cloves help increase gut motility as well as improve the digestion power by increasing gastro-intestinal enzyme secretions.

Share your mulled wine pictures with us on Instagram so we can share them with the rest of our community! Find us @proximal50lifecenter