Drink and be Merry!!

As it is the season to be merry, I thought I'd share a quick and easy recipe for Christmas in a glass - delicious mulled wine full of Christmassy spice and a kick of sloe gin!  This one is courtesy of BBC Good Food with a few McWhinney tweeks again!  The big day is in less than a week so relax, grab a glass and GET FESTIVE!!!

Ingredients:

- 2 bottles of red wine (Good ol' Jamie recommends recommend Chianti or another Italian red wine)

- 120g demerara sugar

- 2 cinnamon sticks

- 6 cloves

- grated nutmeg

- 1 orange, sliced (or whole with the cloves studded into it)

- 1 dried bay leaf

- 60 ml sloe gin

- peel of lemon

- 1 whole vanilla pod, halved (optional)

Method:

1. Put the wine in a saucepan with the orange, sugar, bay leaf, spices, lemon peel and vanilla
2. Heat gently until all the sugar is dissolved.  Taste to see if you want the wine sweeter, and add more sugar to taste.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat, and stir in the sloe gin
4. Strain into heat proof glasses and serve - drink and be merry!