APPLE CIDER OR SPICED WINE MULLING BLEND

THIS SIMPLE BLEND TAKES MINUTES TO ASSEMBLE. The results, though, are spectacular. Mulling with these fruits and spices fills the house with an aroma promising good things to come. It’s like a holiday in a mug.

MAKES ENOUGH FOR

ONE 750-MILLILITER BOTTLE OF WINE

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lime

½ cup / 100 grams granulated sugar

½ cup / 100 grams dried cranberries

6 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 whole nutmeg

2 star anise

4 cardamom pods

Shake together all the ingredients in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.

To use, just add it to a bottle of wine (I suggest unoaked reds) and warm over low heat for as long as you’d like to let it stand. Alternatively, farm-fresh cider may be mixed in equal parts with French chardonnay; or, for nondrinkers, substitute a blend of half cranberry juice and half grape juice, then mull as if wine.