A glass of hot alcohol is the perfect way to get into the swing of things for the festive season and we have an easy recipe here (courtesy of There’s a Beer For That) for making your own mulled ale.

It combines ale with the usual yuletide spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and ground cloves and a drop or two of rum is added in to inject a little extra flavour. This recipe serves eight so increase the ingredients as appropriate.

Ingredients

• 1 litre ale

• 30g caster sugar

• Generous pinches of ground cloves, grated nutmeg and ground ginger

• 3 tablespoons rum, whisky or brandy

Method

1 Mix all ingredients together, except rum or brandy, in a non-stick pan. Bring to a fast simmer. Remove from heat.

2 Add the rum or brandy and extra sugar to taste.

Preparation Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

5 minutes

Serves 8

Cook’s tip: To add a bit of zing use a cinnamon stick to stir each glass before drinking. You can also add a little bit more flavour by popping in some apple slices at the end of stage one.

Recipe courtesy of There’s A Beer For That