Mulled wine usually means a bag of whole spices, a slow warm and a sieve. Our Mulling Spices Spice Drops make it instant: one drop flavours 76ml of wine, cider or apple juice, with nothing to strain. The blend was awarded two stars at the 2015 Great Taste Awards.

Seven extracts go into every bottle: orange peel, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, fennel seed, cinnamon and ginger, together three-quarters of its contents, with a plant-derived base making up the rest. That base lets the blend disperse through any drink, and through batters and ganache too.

Mulling by the Glass or by the Pan

Work on one drop for every 76ml. For a single serving, put three drops and a teaspoon of honey in the glass first, then pour in 250ml of red wine heated to just below boiling, and stir. For a party pan, scale up: a 750ml bottle of wine takes about ten drops. Swap the wine for apple juice for a non-alcoholic version, or use cider. 

Beyond drinks, a few drops in a chocolate ganache or a muffin mix bring the same festive spice to a bake. Give it a shake before use and store it closed, cool and dry. For one spice on its own, our Cinnamon and Orange Spice Drops come from the same range.

Christmas Ideas

Orange, cranberry, apple, dark chocolate and honey all suit a mulled spice note.

• Mulled wine by the glass or the pan
• Warm mulled apple juice
• Mulled cider
• Mulled spice dark chocolate truffles
• Spiced Christmas muffins
• Cranberry and mulled spice cookies