Name: Sparkling Mulled Wine
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Ingredients: 3 cinnamon sticks , broken into pieces; 12 green cardamom pods , cracked; 8 allspice berries , cracked; 4 star anise pods , broken into pieces; ½ teaspoon whole cloves; ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns , cracked; 12 ounces Madeira wine; 1 cup sugar; 8 (3-inch) strips orange zest , plus orange slices for garnishing; 1 (2-inch) piece ginger , peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick; 3 (750-ml) bottles dry sparkling red wine , chilled; 16 ounces aquavit; 1 Ice Ring (see Test Kitchen Techniques)

Why This Recipe Works

This celebratory drink is modeled after glögg, Swedish mulled wine. Although that name derives from the word "glödga," which means "to heat," we thought it would be fun to make a chilly counterpart beverage with sparkling red wine. To mull without heating the punch, we steep just 12 ounces of Madeira wine with a host of warm spices on the stovetop until it becomes a deep garnet spiced syrup. We strain this potent syrup, chill it, and then combine it with the other ingredients, including aquavit (a common glögg choice) for a nice kick and orange slices for the requisite citrus.

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe using a medium-dry Madeira, though an extra-dry Madeira will also work; avoid using sweet varieties of Madeira here. We prefer this with aquavit, but you can substitute London dry gin or another style of gin with strong botanicals. An ice ring does the best job of keeping the punch chilled for several hours without overdiluting. If necessary, 8 large ice cubes can be used instead.

Instructions

Toast broken pieces of 3 cinnamon sticks, 12 cracked green cardamom pods, 8 cracked allspice berries, broken pieces of 4 star anise pods, ½ teaspoon whole cloves, and ¼ teaspoon cracked black peppercorns in small saucepan over medium heat, shaking saucepan occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and add 12 ounces Madeira wine; 1 cup sugar; 8 (3-inch) strips orange zest; and 1 (2-inch) peeled piece ginger, sliced ¼ inch thick. Once bubbling subsides, return saucepan to medium heat and bring to simmer. Off heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain syrup through fine-mesh strainer into bowl or storage container, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 4 days.

Combine 3 chilled bottles dry sparkling red wine, 16 ounces aquavit, and Madeira syrup in large punch bowl. Add ice ring and garnish with orange slices. Serve in chilled punch cups.