A Cup of Cheer |Holidays with Victorian Homes Magazine

cupofcheer

What is the Christmas spirit? It is the spirit which brings a smile to the lips and tenderness to the heart, it is the spirit which warms one into friendship with all the world, which impels one to hold out the hand of fellowship to every man and woman. - Anonymous

I am always so excited to write about antiques, and the holidays for Victorian Homes Magazine. This is part of the feature I wrote and photographed for them for their Holiday Issue.

I hope you enjoy it, if you don't have this magazine, it should still be available.

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A Cup of Cheer Because Christmas comes but once a year, a celebratory drink is always most welcome. This hot mulled wine is so delicious! I serve it in antique small French glasses, with a twist of orange peel and a cinnamon stick. But a large glass, or even a holiday mug will work beautifully too! holidaydrinkfgh

Serve it after dinner, when your guests retreat to the living room, perhaps to listen to carols on the piano. christmasmulledwine

Set up on a small table near the glow of the sparkling Christmas lights, this festive Christmas Mulled Red Wine infused with warm winter spices, apple cider, lemon, orange, and apple slices is sure to spark conversation. fgholidayangelmulledwine

Below is the fabulous recipe created by my friend Lisa Hatfield Torres that she allowed me to share with the Victorian Homes Magazine readers.

CHRISTMAS MULLED WINE

Recipe courtesy of Lisa Hatfield Torres of DeliciousTable.com 2 bottles red wine 4 cups apple cider 1/2 cup honey 4 oz. apple brandy 4 cinnamon sticks 6 cloves 2 star anise sliced lemons, oranges, apples, 4 oranges peeled for garnish Simmer all ingredients on the stove for 10 minutes. {can also be made in a slow cooker} Serve warm, garnished with orange peel. So easy, delicious, and a bonus is that this makes your home smell heavenly! I hope you enjoy it! Don't forget that until December 15th, each time you leave a comment on any blog post at FrenchGardenHouse and visit Leslie Sinclair you will be entered in the give away of Leslie's fabulous book Segreto Vignettes! segretogiveaway

I encourage you to make this Christmas a season full of welcome, warmth and light. With your exquisite decorative elements in place, when your loved ones gather around your tree and share the essence of Christmas, which is love, there is no place like home for the holidays.

Shop for the best in French Antiques, furniture with the patina of age, vintage accessories to delight you and your family & friends, and French Country utilitarian pieces. Treasures that make your home fresh, beautiful, inspirational and uniquely yours. Visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.com.

19 comments

Sheryl, that is the beauty of making Mulled Wine! You can use a bottle of wine that maybe isn’t that stellar. Usually, we use a bottle of deep red wine, a merlot, or a burgundy.

Lidy

Do you have a red wine preference? Sweet? Dry?

sheryl hobbs

The mulled wine is wonderfully Chtistmas.

Carole Shiles

So happy to see all the wonderful inspiration. Most of all I loved seeing the oranges decorated with cloves. That luscious scent means Christmas, family and friends. Thanks for the memories.

CAROLE P SHILES

I wish I could Shirley! How fun would that be, to drink mulled wine together friend. So yummy. Happy Monday! xo

Lidy

That mulled wine sounds delicious, however down in southern hemisphere, our choice will probably be something chilled and bubbly!

noreen

I so love that image and now I know it is mulled wine…beautiful presentation and another congrats on your feature!….Now can you pass me a glass through cyberspace?!!….Thanks for the recipe!!

Shirley@Housepitality Designs

This sounds so good, Lisa. Thank you for sharing your family recipe!

Lidy

Susan, I agree! Nothing makes the house smell quite as delicious like mulled wine…xo

Lidy

Thank YOU, Ann, for starting my day off with such a sweet compliment! xo

Lidy