Svařák, short for svařené víno, is the smell of a Czech winter. From late November, the Christmas markets on Prague's Old Town Square and in every town square in the country sell it by the cup from wooden stalls, and it warms hands as much as anyone. Czechs make it with red wine or, increasingly, Moravian white, sweetened and spiced and never, ever boiled.

Our method makes a spiced syrup first, which draws more flavor from the spices without cooking off the wine. It is ideal for a cold evening race, a winter test session watched from the sofa, or the season finale late in the year.

The spiced syrup

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 star anise

The wine

Ingredients

• 1 bottle (750 ml) fruity red wine

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