Forralt Bor

The story

Forralt bor, the Hungarian version of spiced mulled wine, is made with red wine, honey in place of sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and orange peel, a combination that reflects Hungary's long winemaking tradition, one of the oldest in Central Europe, where regions such as Tokaj and Eger have for centuries produced wines known far and wide. The drink is served at the Christmas markets that open in Hungarian cities as early as late November, in cups that customers warm their hands on beside stalls selling gingerbread and sausages. Many families have a secret addition of their own, a sprig of rosemary or a little plum brandy (pálinka), that makes the drink recognizably theirs. For Hungarian families in the diaspora, simmering forralt bor at home is one of the simplest sensory ways of conjuring a Hungarian Christmas: the smell of cloves and orange on the stove has the power to change the mood of a room in an instant, even when everything else on the table has been adapted to locally available ingredients.