We know that dessert wine is not the sexiest name in the drink vocabulary. But this should not underestimate the holiday power of these things. A good recipe can turn a party into a real party, turning a decent bottle of wine into a warm, unforgettable drink that you will want to make over and over again.

Let's start by giving mulled wine a new and improved name. How about hot spiced wine? Or, as the Germans say, gluhwein? Vino de los feriados? whatever. More importantly, you should know how to make it, because these things have become an international phenomenon, especially around cold holidays. It adds warm spices and citrus layers and more to high-quality red wine, dressing it up as a holiday punch-use your favorite cup or thermos to let you enjoy the warmth.

Cocktail saint Alicia Perry has one of the best mulled wine recipes in the world, and she owes it to her bar manager Keivon Dashtizadeh. If you don't know Perry, she is an important part of the legendary cocktail show and Polite Provisions. She said that Dashtizadeh recently designed a wonderful mulled wine for the San Diego bar’s holiday menu.

"The beauty of mulled wine is that its formula can be very versatile, including a variety of wines, fortified wines and a range of spices," Perry said. This is of course the music in The Manual's ears, because we like to play with various recipe templates. When you mix at home, try adding different wine varieties such as Port, Brandy and Sherry or Malbec or Amarone.

"The recipe contained below has a high sugar content because we want to use it in wine-based cocktails," Perry continued (by the way, this might be the best name for these things). "However, this recipe uses reduced sugar to make traditional mulled wines that would be great."

So, when it comes to a good holiday spiced wine, start here, but fix it here and there according to taste, especially when it comes to adding sugar. As Perry suggested, you can make these things beforehand and then cool them until you serve them. If you plan to spend the day, consider assembling wine in a slow cooker with the lowest setting. You need to filter before serving, but you can keep all the solids at the bottom of the cookware, if your party requires multiple batches, just add more liquid. This is a great way to prolong the life of additives such as cinnamon and orange peel (but do it according to the taste, because these tastes will eventually disappear).

The formula provided by Perry brings the unique flavor of high-quality Spanish sherry, separated by warm spices provided by Cab Franc and dark fruits and pepper. If you like some decorations, you can add some spices and some citrus slices, or a tried-and-tested cinnamon stick.

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