I am a DIY-er and I like to give holiday gifts that have a personal touch. This mulled wine kit is just that. You can go above and beyond and buy a bottle of wine to go along with the prepared spices, or give the jars on their own.

 

What you need to buy to make one jar with enough spices to make mulled wine three times. Three’s always a good number.

• 3 cinnamon sticks (broken up to fit in the jar)

• 3 whole star anise

• 1 tablespoon allspice (whole berries)

• 1 tablespoons whole cloves
• 1/2 tablespoon green cardamom pods

• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorn
• cheesecloth (enough to make three squares big enough to hold 1/3 of the spices in the jar)
• 3 pieces of twine long enough to tie the cheesecloth into sachets
• gift tag to write directions
• Ball of Kerr jar
• bottle of wine and orange (optional, depending how big you want your gift to be. You can always just give the spice set, which is what I did this year)

To do:

• Measure out all the spices in a bowl, place in the jar with the cinnamon sticks
• Stuff the cheesecloth and twine inside
• On the tag, write a little note with the following directions: Place a third of the spices, minus the cinnamon sticks in a cheesecloth square and tie up with twine. Pour a bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, etc) the sachet, cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of bourbon (optional) into a pot. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• Enjoy!

After I made several of these as gifts I put the extra cloves and anise in a small little jar to use as potpourri. Dual use!

Shout out to Buzzfeed for the inspiration!