Name: Warm Bar
Cook time: 4 h 3 min
Total time: 4 h 3 min
Yield: 12 Servings
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces; 1 cinnamon stick, about 2 inches; 12 pitted dates, chopped; 3 quarts fruity red wine, such as Shiraz, Merlot, or Cabernet; ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg; 2 whole cloves; 1 slice gingerroot, about ½ inch thick; Finely grated zest of 1 orange; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 12 dried apple slices, chopped; 3 quarts unsweetened apple cider; ½ cup raisins; 1½ cups light brown sugar; 4 cups brandy; 6 cups dark rum; 1 vanilla bean, split; 2 slices gingerroot, about ½ inch thick; 2 cups honey; 6 cups water; 12 dried apricots, chopped

Preparation info

12
Servings

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
4 hr 30

Appears in

Art of the Slow Cooker

By Andrew Schloss

Published 2008

About

Before the advent of ice makers and central heating, warm party drinks were the rule. Mulled wines, spiced cider, hot buttered rum, and mead have all but disappeared, but your slow cooker can reinstate their renown. The “warm” setting on a slow cooker holds drinks at a perfect sipping temperature, keeping any alcohol in the recipe just at the point of vaporizing, a fleeting moment when the aromas are at their height. Warm drinks come in two styles: spiced and sweetened. The Mulled Wine and