Grandmother's Punch

Grandmother's Punch
Aynsley Tea Cup / I love the inside!

This is a great punch that I like to serve during the holidays. Grandmother's punch (Grossmutters punsch) is an elaboration of traditional German Gluhwein, or "glow wine," which is nothing more than heated red wine with cinnamon, lemon, sugar, and cloves. Rich, smooth, and strong! It is traditionally served at midnight on Christmas Eve.

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 25 whole cloves
• 25 allspice berries
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 vanilla beans, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup loose black tea
• Two 750 ml bottles red wine
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 12 cinnamon sticks, for garnish

In a large pot, combine the sugar, spices, and vanilla beans with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until half the liquid has evaporated and the remainder is syrupy.

Remove from the heat, stir in the tea, and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another large pot and stir in the red wine and rum. Warm over medium heat until steaming, about 7 minutes.

Serve warm, garnishing each glass (or teacup) with a cinnamon stick stirrer, or chilled, over ice.