Ingredients
The wine
- 1.5 litresred wine
- a soft fruity one
- 150 gsugar, or to taste
- or 3 tablespoons honey
Spices
- 3cinnamon sticks
- 10whole cloves
- 4star anise
- 1 teaspoonwhole allspice berries
- 3cm ginger, sliced, optional
Fruit
- 2oranges, sliced
- 1lemon, sliced
- 1apple, sliced, optional
Sometimes added
- a shot of rum or brandy
- a strip of vanilla pod
Directions
- Keep it at a bare steam instead. Use a soft and fruity red wine. It should not be heavily tannic. Put the whole spices in a dry pan. Warm them over a medium low heat. Give them about two full minutes.
- Shake the pan as they warm through. They should smell noticeably stronger. Wash the oranges and lemon thoroughly. Waxed fruit should be scrubbed well. Slice them all into thin rounds. Keep the peel on, since it carries the oil. Slice the apple if you are using it. Pour about a third of the wine into a pot. Add the sugar and the toasted spices.
- Add the sliced fruit to the pot. Warm it gently over a low heat. Stir it until the sugar dissolves. Let that third of the wine simmer very gently. Give it about ten full minutes.
- Warm the whole pot through gently. Bring it to a bare steam only. Never let it bubble at all here. Hold it there for fifteen minutes. Judging the temperature takes attention.
- Steam should rise from the surface. No bubbles should break it at all. Turn the heat right down if it starts to bubble. Taste it once it is properly hot. Add more sugar if it seems sharp. Add more wine if it seems cloying.
- Squeeze in more lemon if it is flat. It should be warming rather than syrupy. Add it off the heat at the very end. Leaving them in keeps infusing it.
- Pour it into thick mugs or heatproof glasses. Add a fresh orange slice to each. Add a cinnamon stick if you like. It keeps two days refrigerated. Warm alcohol is absorbed faster than cold. Never drive after drinking it.
Technique
- Forralt bor means boiled wine, but it should never actually boil, since alcohol evaporates well below the boiling point of water and boiling also concentrates the tannins harshly.
- Whole spices are used rather than ground, since ground spice makes the wine cloudy and gritty.
- Warm alcohol is absorbed faster than cold and tastes far less strong than it is, since the sugar and spice hide the wine completely.
Substitutions
- Any soft fruity red wine works, and there is no point using a fine one.
- Honey can replace the sugar and gives a rounder sweetness.
Variations
- Some households add a shot of rum or brandy at the end.
- A white wine version is poured at some markets.
- Chimney cake, kurtoskalacs, is the usual thing eaten alongside.
History
The drink of Budapest’s Advent markets and winter fairs, poured beside chimney cake stalls.
Frequently asked questions
What is Forralt bor?
Forralt bor is a cocktail from Hungary: red wine heated with cloves, cinnamon and orange, sold in mugs. The drink of Budapest’s Advent markets and winter fairs, poured beside chimney cake stalls.
How long does Forralt bor take to make?
Forralt bor takes 10 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Forralt bor?
Yes, within limits. Any soft fruity red wine works, and there is no point using a fine one. Honey can replace the sugar and gives a rounder sweetness.
What is the most important thing to get right in Forralt bor?
Keep it at a bare steam instead. Use a soft and fruity red wine. It should not be heavily tannic. Put the whole spices in a dry pan. Warm them over a medium low heat. Give them about two full minutes.
