Mulled wine is a beverage usually made with red wine along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins. It is served hot or warm and is alcoholic, although there are non-alcoholic versions of mulled wine.
It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas.
Wine was first recorded as spiced and heated in Rome during the 2nd century. The Romans travelled across Europe, conquering much of it and trading with the rest. The legions brought wine and viticulture with them up to the Rhine and Danube rivers and to the Scottish border, along with their recipes.
The Forme of Cury,a medieval English cookery book from 1390, which mentioned mulled wine, says: "Pur fait Ypocras ..." grinding together cinnamon, ginger, galangal, cloves, long pepper, nutmeg, marjoram, cardamom and grains of paradise ("spykenard de Spayn", rosemary may be substituted). This is mixed with red wine and sugar (form and quantity unstated).
This is Daisuke Okubo, coming to Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro as a trainee. Although it's my firth day to work here, I've already got exited to meet various guests from the world.
The photos above are about my unforgettable trip in Scotland just after finished my course at language school in England this summer. Local scottish people really helped me at the hotels, pubs, whisky distillies, wherever I needed a help. So now I'm thinking it's my turn to offer an assist to foreign tourists who are in the same situatuon in Japan as I experienced in Scotland, and I've found Sakura Hotel is an ideal place to carry out it!
You know, New Year's Day is one of the most important holidays for the Japanese. It's like Christmas in Western culture or Christianity-dominant countries. Usually all the family members come back to their home town and celebrate the beginning of the year together.
In the past, I have introduced you my most adorable pet hedgehog, Azuki-chan! Its been really cold lately and Azuki chan will go to hibernate, just like any other mammals during the winter. (I want to hibernate too...)
Before hibernating, she will not stop eating and eating... and she will get really round and fat.
Azuki chan: i cant wait to eat these bad boys in seconds.
