Mulled Wine

My own festive season starts on December 1st but occasionally I find myself feeling the tingle of joy, my inner bells start jingling and before I know it, I hear myself humming words about reindeer, noses, sleighs.... One year a few winters ago, festivities came as early as mid October. This year? I put my Christmas CD in the car and hit play 2 nights ago, if ever so shyly.
As time passes, my confidence has grown- last night I made my first mulled wine for the season. It was fantastic, and I have the friend who can vouch for it!

Unfortunately I forgot to photograph my own mulled wine last night, courtesy of the Internet

Here is my recipe:

Red wine - 1 bottle [quantity varies depending on how many friends you have and how much of a drunk you are!]
Orange - 1 [peel it, and put the peels in the potion. Eat 2 slices of orange and put the rest in, too]
Apple -1 [ cut it in bite-size chunks and put it in]
Cinnamon sticks - a few [mostly for decoration, put one in each glass when you serve it]
Ground cinnamon - half a teaspoon or so [ I really like cinnamon]
Clovers - 2 teaspoons
Black pepper - a pinch or so, don't go overboard
Cocoa powder - half a teaspoon
Honey / brown sugar - depending on taste. Resist the temptation to make it too sweet, you'll regret it

Heat up the wine, add the ingredients, stir with a wooden spoon.

Serve with gingerbreads or cheese, or anything else you'd like. Or simply enjoy the thick spicy wine by itself. Ideally, in front of the fireplace.