Mulled wine syrup

Mulled Wine Syrup from Schusters Shrub with Cinnamon, Clove, and Orange Peel

Mulled Wine Syrup from Schusters Shrub is a spiced syrup from the Steigerwald region that turns still wine into mulled wine and a glass of juice into punch. Cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, cardamom, and the peels of orange and lemon are boiled in water for a long time until their entire aroma has infused the syrup.

Mulled Wine Syrup is the liquid mulled wine spice from Schusters Shrub in Untersteinbach in the Steigerwald; it is called mulled wine syrup by the producer and "syrup for the preparation of mulled wine and children's punch" on the label. The 250 ml bottle contains water, brown raw cane sugar, and the spices that make a mulled wine, above all cinnamon, clove, and star anise. A dash of it in warm wine, and the mulled wine smells like the Christmas market.

Cinnamon and clove at the forefront, orange and lemon behind

The syrup is dark from the brown raw cane sugar and flows thick from the bottle. Its scent alone is reminiscent of gingerbread and baked apples. Cinnamon and clove set the tone, the star anise adds its sweet spice underneath, and the cardamom brings a bright, fresh sharpness into play.

The peels of orange and lemon keep the spices fresh and give the syrup a fruity citrus scent. The raw cane sugar has a slight caramel taste and rounds off the spiciness. The finished mulled wine tastes spicy, fruity, and dark-sweet, and the wine underneath remains recognizable.

Boiled for a long time so the aroma migrates into the syrup

Spices in a mulled wine pot have a hard time, because wine should not be heated above 70 degrees, otherwise it loses its flavor. At this temperature, cinnamon sticks and cloves only release part of their aroma.

At Schusters, the spices are therefore boiled in water for a long time, allowing the cinnamon, cloves, and star anise to dissolve much more thoroughly than in wine. The brown raw cane sugar makes the spice extract sweet and shelf-stable, and then it is hot-filled. Unopened, the bottle keeps for three years; opened, it lasts throughout the entire Christmas season without refrigeration.

It was invented by Gabi Schuster from the family behind Schusters Shrub, and in the manufactory, it is called the first liquid mulled wine spice. The house's shrubs are infused in apple cider vinegar, but this syrup is an extract in water, and its aroma comes solely from the spices. The gourmet magazine Selection awarded it gold in its blind tasting.

Mulled wine from wine, punch from juice

One part syrup to four to five parts red wine, heated together until steaming, and the mulled wine is ready. If you use a dry white wine instead, you get a light mulled wine with a distinct citrus scent. The 250 ml bottle is enough for more than one bottle of wine.

For children's punch, put four parts apple juice, one part orange juice, and one part syrup in the pot. A dash in hot milk makes a Christmas milk, a dash in cocoa makes it spicy. In cold sparkling wine, it becomes an aperitif on Christmas Eve.

In the kitchen, it transforms quark, yogurt, or whipped cream into a Christmas dessert, soaks a cake base, or shines as a glaze on gingerbread. Those who prefer their mulled wine ready-mixed can find bottles for heating at Mulled Wine and Punch.

A winter supply next to the stove

Because the opened bottle keeps without refrigeration, it stays within reach next to the stove all December long. If guests arrive unexpectedly, the mulled wine is ready as soon as the wine is hot, and spice bags and strainers stay in the cupboard.

As a small gift for Advent coffee or in a St. Nicholas boot, the bottle brings the Christmas market into the home, and everyone mixes their mulled wine from their own favorite wine. The other varieties from the manufactory, from raspberry shrub to Oriental Syrup, can be found on the Schusters Shrub page.