All the mulled wine spices, with red grape juice and a hint of hibiscus: the same Christmas market smell, for kids and grown-ups alike.
This one, the whole table can drink: kids, mothers-to-be, anyone heading home by car. It has the ruby color, the orange and cinnamon scent and the warmth in your hands, without a drop of alcohol.
The secret is to give back what grape juice alone lacks: a little acidity and a little bitterness. A squeeze of lemon, a few hibiscus flowers or a black tea bag, and it stops being warm sweet juice and becomes a real festive drink, with some depth.
Wash the orange and half lemon in hot water. Peel 3 strips of orange zest without the pith and slice the rest into rounds. Stud one round with the cloves. Peel the ginger and cut it into thin slices.
Pour the grape and apple juices into the pan with the zest, orange rounds, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and ginger. Heat over medium heat until it just starts to simmer, then turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes, without boiling.
Turn off the heat. Add the hibiscus (or tea bag), cover and leave to infuse for 5 minutes, no longer. Remove the tea bag if you used one.
Squeeze the half lemon and add its juice. Taste: if it's too tart for little ones, add the honey; if it's too sweet, another squeeze of lemon. Leave to rest for 5 more minutes, covered.
Strain through the fine sieve and rewarm for a minute if needed. Serve in mugs, with an orange round and a cinnamon stick to stir.
Check off every step to celebrate.
Strained, it keeps for 4 days in the fridge in a closed bottle. Rewarm it over low heat or in the microwave, mug by mug. It's also lovely cold, over ice, the next day.
Yes: it contains no alcohol at all, only fruit juice, spices and hibiscus (or tea). For little ones, choose hibiscus rather than black tea, which contains caffeine.
In the tea and herbal tea aisle, in world food shops (as bissap or karkadé) or in organic stores. Otherwise, a black tea bag or a little more lemon does the job nicely.
Yes, it's even better a few hours later: make it in the morning, strain it and keep it chilled, then rewarm it gently when it's time to serve.
Add this recipe to your meal, then come back for appetizers, a drink, cookies with coffee: Popotam brings them together, with the shopping for your whole table and the timeline up to dessert. Free, no account.
