Reply to: Mulled wine is amazing!

[NotAllThere]

My wife makes me hot toddies when I have a cold. But she for some strange reason omits the whiskey.

We have a Christmas market in Basel at the mo'. Their Glüüwi is rather nice, especially with a shot of Amaretto in it. The German stuff I must agree is mass produced pap.

[CheeseSlice]

Why would anyone want to mess up decent booze by putting spices and sugar and other tulipe in it and then heating it so all the alchohol evaporates?

hey is that how they distill whisky? Just pour some hot water into some beer and collect the alcohol?

Actually very little alcohol evaporates. I have had the hangovers to prove it.

[EternalOptimist]

Why would anyone want to mess up decent booze by putting spices and sugar and other tulipe in it and then heating it so all the alchohol evaporates?

Why??

Because she has had a sh 1t day doing a sh 1t job for a sh 1t boss. She has had a nightmare journey home through a cold winters evening, and someone has taken the trouble to do something nice for her.

Thats the main reason.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Why would anyone want to mess up decent booze by putting spices and sugar and other tulipe in it and then heating it so all the alchohol evaporates?

dunno - I cannae stand the stuff.

[NickFitz]

I've noticed that there are loads of places that are selling 'Mulled Cider' this year. Never noticed it before; is it wide spread? I take it that I'm being fick and it was around last year too.

A bit of googling tells me that it is the original 'Wassail' as in the drinking toast.

It's probably a marketing exercise dreamt up by a load of twonks working on behalf of some Fast Drink outfit like Magners

If the real wassail involved cider (rather than it being said marketing department mucking around with Wikipedia and SEO to bolster their campaign) then said cider would have been rough cider, aka scrumpy.

Ergo, if you are offered Mulled Cider made with a mainstream brand, you are being conned by capitalists seeking to exploit the gullible. If it's made with real rough cider, then it may just possibly be the real wassail. Even so, a little digging might expose the fact that such a local tradition has been traditional since... well, since the big brands started a marketing campaign a couple of weeks ago

[Gonzo]

Glühwein, disgusting stuff IMHO. Everyhere in Germany sells it at the moment. I prefer the little stand in the Weihnachtsmarkt that does all these weird and wonderful variations on a hot Schnapps, some are pretty lethal.

WHS

I took Mrs Gonzo to some German Christmas Markets one year. I thought the alcohol that you could get there would ease my pain.

It didn't. That stuff is disgusting.

[d000hg]

Try doing it to cheer up, then, you miserable bugger!

It does cheer me up, through a pleasant taste and aroma in nice surroundings. Not through getting smashed... the thought I might lower the alcohol content by heating it up doesn't seem of the slightest concern.

[RichardCranium]

Because some of us don't drink just to force alcohol into our blood in an attempt to escape our dull lives

Try doing it to cheer up, then, you miserable bugger!

[d000hg]

Why would anyone want to mess up decent booze by putting spices and sugar and other tulipe in it and then heating it so all the alchohol evaporates?

Because some of us don't drink just to force alcohol into our blood in an attempt to escape our dull lives

[d000hg]

Like spicing meat, the only reason they used to mull wine in the middle ages was because it tasted so vile on it own.

So what? Smoked fish, cured meat and curry all have similar origins. Doesn't stop them tasting nice.

[norrahe]

Ah! Thank's for this thread. It's something I keep meaning to ask but I forget.

I've noticed that there are loads of places that are selling 'Mulled Cider' this year. Never noticed it before; is it wide spread? I take it that I'm being fick and it was around last year too.

A bit of googling tells me that it is the original 'Wassail' as in the drinking toast.

I might try it sometime, but something makes me think that it going to be too much for me.

Mulled cider, very nice, just make sure to use one of the sweeter varieties, some sugar and cinnamon.

[OwlHoot]

Why would anyone want to mess up decent booze by putting spices and sugar and other tulipe in it and then heating it so all the alchohol evaporates?

WHS - Like spicing meat, the only reason they used to mull wine in the middle ages was because it tasted so vile on it own.

Even King John couldn't get hold of decent wine, and he complained about the bits floating in it and the reak of tar from the barrels, so much so that he could only drink it while holding his breath.

[darmstadt]

Any other hot alcoholic drinks we should know about? My wife brought back tales of "German fire punch" from a weekend away, which also sounds exciting.

Glühwein, disgusting stuff IMHO. Everyhere in Germany sells it at the moment. I prefer the little stand in the Weihnachtsmarkt that does all these weird and wonderful variations on a hot Schnapps, some are pretty lethal.

[darmstadt]

Why would anyone want to mess up decent booze by putting spices and sugar and other tulipe in it and then heating it so all the alchohol evaporates?

You want to try a Rumtopf then, all that is done and more. One of the most potent creations known to man (I've seen the fumes from one eat through silver foil.)

[Alf W]

Why would anyone want to mess up decent booze by putting spices and sugar and other sh1te in it and then heating it so all the alchohol evaporates?