KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Every year as Yuletide draws near, I think of the Christkindlmarkt am Marienplatz, the biggest Christmas market in Munich.
There are Nativity stables and papier-mâché angels, "live" Bavarian folk music and Advent lanterns. There are Käsespätzle, full of oozing cheese and crispy fried onions; hot bratwursts in soft buns, slathered with mustard; and honey-sweetened Lebkuchen cookies.
And there will definitely be steaming mugs of hot Glühwein.
Is there anything that says Christmas in Germany more than this mulled wine? The recipe is simple enough: red wine that is gently heated (hence the name, which translates to "smouldering wine”) with spices.
For those of us who prefer a non-alcoholic holiday, how about replacing the wine with coffee? A hot beverage is what we are after during the coldest time of year, warmed further with aromatic spices.
Indeed we can begin with cold brew coffee as its flavour will be more intense when you heat it with spices.
You can easily make your own cold brew coffee at home. Select your own beans and grind them fresh. A lighter roast or a darker one, you decide.
Back to the Christkindlmarkt. Depending on the stall, you might detect different flavour notes in your Glühwein. Cinnamon and cloves from one stall, star anise and orange peel at another.
Dried fruit is also a popular addition. Apples to denote the transition from fall to winter; raisins as a nod to the grapes from which the wine is made.
This is where we can be inspired closer to home: I’m speaking of tong sui or Cantonese dessert soups. Many types of tong sui, such as red bean soup, use dried tangerine peel or chan pei in their recipes.
A little goes a long way. One small piece, or even half a piece, will provide a subtle citrus fragrance that will transform your mulled coffee into a true Christmas treat.
CHRISTMAS MULLED COFFEE
Before making mulled coffee, we have to look at how we make mulled wine and discover its one commanding principle.
Besides Glühwein, other types of mulled wines or spiced wines include the Nordic glögg, the French vin chaud (literally "hot wine”) and bisschopswijn ("bishop's wine”) in the Netherlands and Belgium.
In northern Italy, not far from Bavaria, mulled wine is called vin brülé, whilst in the Czech Republic, it is known as svařené víno ("boiled wine”).
That last name touches on a key point — to make mulled wines, the wine has to be boiled with spices and then strained. A similar technique is employed here to make mulled coffee.
The spices used are, not surprisingly, called mulling spices.
Traditional mulling spices include cinnamon, star anise and cloves, which are what I have used here as the spice base for the mulled coffee. If the dried tangerine peel is the star flavour note, then these trio of spices build the aromatic foundation.
How you sweeten your mulled coffee can make a difference too. Mulled wines tend to feature granulated white sugar in their recipes; brown sugar and honey are two common substitutes.
Given that we have been inspired by Cantonese tong sui with our use of chan pei, an appropriate echo would be to use rock sugar, and not granulated sugar which is too sweet.
Another thing to note is that we are making the cold brew coffee a bit more diluted in the beginning. Quite simply, as the coffee is simmered with spices the next day, it will become more concentrated as some liquid evaporates.
With preparation and patience, you will soon enjoy a fragrant and festive cuppa — with none of the booze!
Ingredients
100g whole coffee beans (preferably single origin beans roasted for filter brewing)
2 litres water
Half a piece of dried tangerine peel
1 stick of cinnamon
2 pieces of star anise
5 cloves
100g rock sugar
Method
Grind the coffee beans using your grinder’s coarse setting on your grinder. Pour these coarse coffee grounds into the large container.
Top up with water and stir thoroughly to ensure the coffee grounds have completely been saturated with the water. Cover the container with its lid. Transfer to the fridge and allow to steep overnight.
The next day, strain the cold brew liquid using a strainer and add to a pot. Add the dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Bring to a simmer and allow to keep simmering for at least 20 minutes.
A few minutes before serving, add the rock sugar. Stir until completely dissolved. Strain the mulled coffee into another pot, to remove the spent spices. Ladle or pour into cups and enjoy whilst hot and fragrant.
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