Basti's Gluhwein

My former roomate Sebastian came over for a holiday feast tonight, and brought as a great contribution the ingredients to what Germans call "Gluhwein" and English speakers probably call "mulled wine." There are as many recipes as there are types of wine, but I thought his was spiced just right, not too sweet, and made the whole
house smell like the holidays.

2 teabags of your choice (black, cinnamon, holiday blend, ect.)
2 bottles decent red wine
whole cinnamon sticks
whole cloves
1 orange, sliced (or berries)
allspice
nutmeg
sugar
dark rum

1. The basic set-up is this. Bring about 1 1/2 c. water to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the tea bags. After a few minutes, add the first bottle of wine. (This recipe is easily increased.) For each bottle of wine, add 1 T. sugar, 4-5 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp. allspice, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and slices of orange to your taste. As you increase the wine content, increase the other ingredients accordingly. Heat on low for 10- 15 minutes, but it can also sit for much longer.
2. When you are about to serve, add in 1 shot of dark rum per bottle of wine. Strain or carefully ladle into mugs or other glasses that are appropriate for hot beverages. Ahhhh.

Sure beats apple cider!