Cloves
The dried flower buds of a Maluku evergreen, and one of the strongest spices in the cupboard. The compound responsible is eugenol, which is the same thing dentists have long used to numb a tooth, and that is a fair warning about the dose.
Quick Facts
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Eugenol at full strength: sweet, hot and faintly numbing, the loudest voice in the mulling-spice choir.
Storage & Handling
Airtight, dark and dry: whole buds hold their oil far longer than the powder.
Shelf Life
Whole: 2-3 years airtight before they fade.
Usage
Whole cloves season mulled wine, Wassail and the hot cider serves, and stud the orange garnish. Four to six buds carry a whole batch, and every one of them comes out again before the drink is poured.
Eugenol, and the Dentist
Cloves are dominated by a single compound, eugenol, which accounts for most of their aroma and all of their potency. It is also a mild topical anaesthetic, which is why clove oil has been used on toothache for centuries and why biting a whole clove numbs the tongue for a minute afterwards. That is the useful thing to know about the spice: it is not merely strong-flavoured but pharmacologically active, and the numbing effect is a signal that the dose in a drink should be counted rather than estimated.
Count Them In, Count Them Out
Four to six buds will season a whole batch of mulled wine, which is a smaller quantity than most people expect from something being asked to flavour two litres. Beyond that the clove stops being a background warmth and starts being the only thing in the glass. The other half of the rule matters as much: take them out before serving. A stray bud in a ladle ends up in somebody’s cup, and a clove chewed by accident numbs the mouth and finishes the drink for them.
Whole Against Ground
Whole buds hold their oil for a year or more because the eugenol is sealed inside; ground clove has exposed all of it at once and fades within months. For anything infused, whole is the only sensible choice, since ground clove disperses through the liquid and cannot be removed once it is in. Ground has its uses where the spice should be evenly distributed and invisible, in baking and in a spice mix, but a hot drink wants the buds.
Studding the Orange
Pressing cloves into an orange is the traditional way to add them to mulled wine and it solves several problems at once. The fruit holds them in one retrievable place, the citrus oils and the clove perfume each other in the pan, and the whole thing can be lifted out in one movement at the end. It is also the pomander, which is centuries older than any cocktail and was made as a room scent rather than as a drink. Six to eight buds in a halved orange is plenty.
Top Tips
- Count them in and count them out. Four to six buds season a batch, and a chewed clove ruins a mouthful.
- Stud the orange rather than the drink. Pressed into citrus they perfume gently and stay retrievable.
- Use whole for batches. Ground clove disperses and cannot be fished back out again.
Possible Substitutions
- Ground clove, sparingly: the unretrievable form
- Allspice berries: milder, rounder, same territory
Production Method
The unopened flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, an evergreen native to Indonesia’s Maluku Islands, picked by hand before they open and sun-dried to the familiar dark nail shape. Eugenol carries the characteristic aroma.
Common Questions
What are cloves?
The dried, unopened flower buds of an evergreen native to the Maluku Islands. They are dominated by eugenol, which supplies the aroma and the numbing quality, and they are among the more potent spices, so they are counted rather than measured by the spoon.
How many cloves go in mulled wine?
Four to six buds for a batch, which is less than most people expect for two litres. Past that the clove stops being background warmth and becomes the only flavour present. Take them out before serving, because a chewed bud numbs the mouth.
Whole cloves or ground?
Whole for anything infused, because ground clove disperses through the liquid and cannot be removed. Whole buds also keep their oil far longer, since the eugenol stays sealed inside. Ground has its place where the spice needs to be even and invisible.
Why do cloves numb your mouth?
Because eugenol, the compound behind the aroma, is a mild topical anaesthetic. It is the reason clove oil has been used on toothache for centuries. The effect is harmless in the quantities a drink involves, and it is a useful signal that the spice wants counting rather than estimating.
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Often Used With
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits