Mulled Ribena

This post is part of the Vocal Cooks Collaborative.

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Previous posts in this series include The World From Home

It's the tail end of winter in Australia, and it's the first year in a while that I haven't spent at least a week (total) in bed sick.

Part of this I'm attributing to the Public Health measures of people wearing masks and staying home while sick. Also, being in a new job where I don't have to fight the manager to take a day off.

Another part is my increased vitamin C intake from having fresh oranges in the back yard, and a new winter drink that a friend introduced me to: hot ribena.

Ribena, for the uninformed, is a brand of blackcurrant juice that was a raging hit in the 90s, before some parent group went up in arms about the amount of (mostly natural) sugar it contained. Ribena dropped into the background then, but stayed around.

In May, in between lockdowns, I visited a friend in Canberra. She'd come across the idea while searching for a recipe for a sick friend, and made it for my partner and I while we demolished a container of gingerbread and speckulas spread.

I took the idea home, made a few adjustments for my personal taste, and have been practically living off it all winter.

While this is theoretically a hot drink, it tastes just as good cold or lukewarm, and I don't intend to stop drinking it just because the weather has turned from 'cold' to 'Hellish Australian Summer'.

The Recipe

Fill the kettle with water and boil it.

In a mug or teacup, pour in light Ribena syrup, enough to cover the bottom, but not more than a fifth of the total volume.

For those poor souls who live somewhere without Ribena, any blackcurrant syrup or concentrate will do. Blackcurrant jam can be used in a pinch, but will be much sweeter. Don't use blackcurrant cordial, it doesn't work and tastes vile.

Once the kettle has boiled, add hot water and stir to mix.

*My personal preference is to wait for the drink to cool down a bit so I don't burn my tongue off, but it's a lovely thing to drink while trying to wake up in the morning.

My Adaptations

Because I am a complete tart for spices, I tried making this mulled.

"Mulled" or "Mulling spices", for the uninformed, is the process of adding certain spices to a drink while heating it. Classic spices used in the Medieval period were cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, added whole to ale, cider or wine and boiled. Fresh ginger, too, if you're feeling fancy.

For Americans, this is basically what you know as Pumpkin Spice, but whole, rather than ground and mixed into coffee or a pie.

Damnit, I miss being able to go to Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice hot chocolate with whipped cream. It's their one good drink...

More modern additions include Allspice berries, Star Anise, and dried citrus peel or dried fruit. Apple is the classic, but honestly any dried fruit will work. I'm experimenting with cranberries dried in pomegranate juice, and apricot and banana chips. Another friend swears by adding a small twist of lemon juice.

For my first attempt, I used a pre-mixed bag of mulling spices from Bilpin Cider. which contained two sticks of cinnamon, a whole nutmeg, several whole cloves and allspice berries, three dried apple pieces and a handful of lemon and orange peel, dehydrated and diced.

To make in quantities larger than a single cup, boil water and Ribena on the stove, again in a 1:4 or 1:5 ratio.

Once it starts boiling, add the mulling mix.

Continue boiling for about five minutes, then reduce to a medium heat for another ten.

Ladle into cups and serve hot. Leave the mulling mix in the leftover drink, for added flavour.

Once it has cooled, pour any leftovers into a container and store in the fridge for up to a week. You can reheat it by adding more boiling water, as the flavours will concentrate over time, or in a microwave-safe cup.

Now go away, try it, and thank me later.