This recipe, aka Kälte Glühwein trinken für Freunde im Sommer, was inspired by a box of German mulled wine: it depicted a blond, deliriously happy family sitting down to a few cups of this mulled tea. Serve in highball glasses.

Ingredients

　　1 bottle (750 ml) not-so-crappy-yet-not- too-good red wine

　　4 orange slices

　　4 whole cloves

　　2 cinnamon sticks

　　1 star anise

　　1 bay leaf

　　1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

　　Ice

　　Brandy in desired amount (we like Magno; it’s Spanish, cheap, and sweet tasting)

　　Soda water to top up

　　In a saucepan, combine the wine, orange slices, cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaf, and sugar and bring to a slow simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for a minute or two, then take off the heat, let cool a bit, and refrigerate. When cold, strain about 3 ounces (90 ml) into each glass, pouring it over a lot of ice. Add about 1 ounce (30 ml) brandy to each glass and top up with soda. If you have one of those nifty carbonation devices, run the wine through it. It will be even better.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Art of Living According to Joe Beef by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan & Meredith Erickson, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.