Spiced Red Wine

Spiced Red Wine by Rowena Grey

Dry Ingredients:

-Cinnamon (1/2 t. ground and 1 stick)
-Allspice (1 t.)
-Black pepper ground (1 t.)
-Whole cloves (5)
-Nutmeg (1 t.)
-Fresh grated ginger (a dash)
-Brown sugar (1 spoonful)

Liquid Ingredients:

-3 L. red wine (Cabernet sauvignon or Merlot; I used Merlot)
-Honey (4 oz. - 1/2 c.)
-Pomegranate juice (2 oz - 1/4 c.)
-Orange juice (4 oz - 1/2 c.)
-New Moon Water (rain water collected during the new moon) (1 spoonful - optional)

Preparation:

-Pour 5 c. wine from the bottle and set to warm on low heat. Add cloves at this time.
-Grind all dry ingredients save brown sugar and ginger in a mortar and pestle and set aside.
-Mix honey, orange juice and pomegranate juice until well blended; there should be no honey remaining at the bottom of the container. (a fork or whisk is best)
-Add spice mixture to liquid ingredients and stir until once again well blended. This will take some time, but be patient.
-Add resulting mixture to warm wine. Ensure that the wine is ONLY WARM. Steam should rise, but nothing more. Add new moon water at this time.
-Allow wine to warm for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
-Add cinnamon stick and continue warming to allow the flavor to mature. This should take approximately ten (10) minutes.
-Remove cinnamon stick and continue warming the mixture for an additional twenty (20) minutes. This will bring the total warming time to one hour.

Final Mixture:

Once the hour has elapsed, remove the wine from the heat. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into clean container and pour strained mixture back into the original bottle. Cap bottle firmly and shake well.

Maturation:

Store wine in a cool, dark place for several days, shaking well at least once a day. Re-strain the mixture if necessary and serve warm. (Heating wine over a fire just until steaming or on low heat is ideal)

Note: If you wish to charge your wine with energy, the mixing of the liquid ingredients and the further addition of the spice mixture both provide excellent opportunities for focus.