Mulled Red Wine Spritzer | John Cusimano
John dreamt up this festive holiday cocktail with pantry ingredients after Chef Geoffrey Zakarian asked him and Rachael to contribute a recipe to his holiday special "The Great American Foodathon," which is airing on select Fox stations on November 25th to raise money for City Harvest & No Kid Hungry.
It's delicious with Rach's Individual Turkey Roulades With Spinach, Blue and Cheddar Cheeses and Spiced Red Wine Apple Sauce or a fancy appetizer board.
- One 750-mL bottle red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 peppercorns
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Peel of 1 orange, studded with 3 cloves
- Peel of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 ounces chilled Mulled Wine Base
- ½ ounce orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 2 ounces club soda
- Lemon twist, for garnish
For the Mulled Wine Base, in a saucepan, combine all base ingredients, heat and stir over low heat until it reaches a low boil. Turn off, let steep and cool for at least 15 minutes, then strain into a container and refrigerate to chill.
For the cocktail, add the Mulled Wine Base, the orange liqueur and simple syrup to an ice-filled cocktail shaker, shake well, then strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with club soda and garnish with lemon twist and a straw.
Always drink responsibly.