This traditional homemade mulled red wine with sweet spices is very easy to make. It is so warm and cozy to sip on cool winter nights!
Ah, winter! Snowflakes, cozy fireplaces, and of course, the comforting aroma of spices and simmering fruits wafting from a pot of mulled red wine. For centuries, people have gathered together to enjoy this wintertime staple, a festive and fragrant blend of luscious red wine, citrus, and warming spices.
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Here you’ll find great tips on choosing the right ingredients and how to mix them for the perfect mulled wine recipe.
I've got you covered from choosing the right red wine, how to set up a serving station, plus several variations to make it this easy mulled wine recipe perfect for your holiday gathering.
So, grab a mug, snuggle up by the fire, and get ready to learn about this timeless winter drink.
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About This Recipe
Mulled red wine scents your entire house with the aromas of holiday cheer and nothing says 'festive season' quite like a steaming mug of mulled red wine! Rich in taste and full of festive aromas, this spiced drink provides warmth and comfort all season long - and it's surprisingly easy to make.
The first time I had mulled wine was at a Christmas market for artisan crafts that was held indoors in downtown San Francisco in the late 1970's. The market was bustling with shoppers finding the perfect gift and I needed a break from the excitement. A small concession-style café was serving mulled wine and you could smell it throughout the venue. It literally called to me. It was warm, slightly sweet, and fragrant with cinnamon, oranges, and cloves. That first cup of mulled red wine warmed my hands and made me smile.
Since then, whenever I am at a Christmas market, I must have a cup of mulled wine. For me, it has become a holiday tradition and a celebration of warm spiced memories of Christmas’s past.
In later years as I traveled, I learned that mulled wine is a staple at every Christmas market in Europe and each country has its own special version. In Germany, it is called glühwein, in Sweden, it is gløgg, in France, it is vin chaud, and in Italy, it is called vin brûlé.
Most of the recipes start with red wine and add water or fruit juice, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, and cloves. Some recipes include raisins and/or nuts and some recipes use a fortified wine, like port. There are literally hundreds of variations of mulled wine.
In my version of mulled red wine, I stick closely to the flavor profile of red wine, orange, and cinnamon. I enhance the spice profile by adding whole spices, cloves and allspice, that work well with cinnamon.
Even if you can't go to a Christmas Market, you can make mulled red wine at home for your holiday parties and have a taste of warm spiced memories of Christmas each and every year!
Are you excited to try mulled wine? Great!
So, let's cook!
Ingredient Notes
- Red Wine - Use a full-bodied fruity red wine that you enjoy drinking. The best wine for this recipe might not be your favorite red wine, if it is expensive. But it should be flavorful. Good choices are Bordeaux Blends, Claret, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and my favorite, Malbec. Although you can use Pinot Noir, it is a lighter-bodied wine and I don't recommend it for this recipe.
- Apple Juice - Use apple juice (instead of water) to lighten the flavor of the wine, as it pairs well with most red wines. While the wine is gently simmering, it will evaporate. If you do not add water or fruit juice the drink will be too concentrated and not as pleasant to drink.
- Brandy - When aged in oak barrels, brandy brings the flavors of vanilla and dried fruit. Plus it may have a hint of floral notes.
- Triple Sec - Triple Sec adds a great depth of orange flavor to the mulled wine.
- White Granulated Sugar - Just a small amount of white granulated sugar will perfectly sweeten the mulled wine.
- Stick Cinnamon - A single cinnamon stick is enough to scent a batch of mulled wine.
- Whole Cloves - Cloves are an essential winter baking spice and is lovely in this recipe.
- Whole Allspice Berries - Allspice (meaning all the spices) brings the aroma of many warm baking spices to the wine with only one spice.
- Orange - You will need both fresh orange peel to simmer in the wine and some slices of orange to garnish each mug.
Garnish:
- Cinnamon Sticks & Slices of an Orange
Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.
How to Make Mulled Red Wine
Combine. In a large saucepan, combine the red wine, apple juice, brandy, triple sec, sugar, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and whole allspice.
Add Peel. Cut the orange in half. Remove the outermost part of the peel from one-half of the orange and add it to the wine mixture.
Simmer. Heat the wine over medium-low heat until the mixture barely comes to a low simmer. Immediately, reduce heat to very low heat and let the mulled wine heat for at least 20 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes.
As the mulled wine heats, slice the other half of the orange and cut each slice into quarters. Set these quarter-slices aside for garnishing.
Serve and Enjoy. Ladle the mulled wine into mugs and garnish each mug with a fresh quarter-slice of orange and a cinnamon stick. Serve and enjoy!
My Top Tips
♡ Use Cheesecloth - The whole cloves and the whole allspice can be placed into a small cheesecloth bag and then added to the mulled wine as it simmers. This makes it easier to remove these spices before ladling the mulled red wine into the mugs.
♡ Make Ahead - You can make this mulled wine up to 2 hours ahead of serving. Just cover the pan and let it stand at room temperature. When you are ready to serve it, slowly reheat it.
3 Simple Tips for Selecting a Red Wine for Mulling
Shopping for red wine for mulled wine is simpler than selecting a wine to pair with a particular dish since you will be changing the flavor of the wine with flavorings, spices, and sweeteners.
So, definitely do not use an expensive wine for this mulled wine recipe. If you know a few simple rules of how wine is marketed in stores, you will always easily be able to find an inexpensive and nice-tasting wine with fruity notes.
1. How Wines are Marketed
In general, the most expensive wines are on the top shelf, moderately priced wines are at eye level, and the least expensive wines generally are below eye level and down.
Second, brands pay stores for position on the shelves. So, wines, that are exactly at eye level might be there not because they sell well or that most people like them, but because the brand has paid for that placement.
2. Wine Terroir
The next thing to consider is where the wine comes from. In general, red wines from the New World are fruitier than the Old World. So, look for wines from Argentina, Chile, and the west coast of the United States.
3. Selecting a Wine
To purchase your wine in grocery stores or big box stores, look for wines that are at eye level or below. These are the more budget-friendly wines and will generally be less than $15. In many stores, you will find tags beneath the wine that will have information about that wine. These tags are called "shelf talkers" and are placed by the store or distributor which displays ratings and a flavor profile for the wine.
If you shop at a wine or liquor store with an extensive selection of wines, ask the proprietor for advice. These shops often don't have shelf talkers and the wine might be in bins or racks that won't have a ranking system of price that is obvious. So ask, generally they will be happy to help you and make a new regular customer.
Substitutions & Variations
- Substitute Grand Marnier. Instead of using brandy, you can substitute the very lovely tasting Grand Marnier. Grand Marnier is a cognac that is blended with bitter orange liqueur. Simply replace the ½ cup of brandy with ½ cup of Grand Marnier. You might think that you are doubling the orange flavors by also using triple sec, and you are. But Grand Marnier contains bitter orange and triple sec is sweet, so the two balance each other very nicely. Although Grand Marnier is expensive, this is a splurge that is absolutely worth the cost!
- Substitute Orange Juice. You can substitute orange juice for the triple sec.
- Add Cardamon Pods. You can add two cardamon pods to change of the flavor of the spiced wine.
- Substitute Cranberry Juice. Cranberry juice is an excellent substitute for apple juice and is delicious.
- Add Fresh Cranberries. Fresh cranberries are a very festive garnish and a few will make every mug gorgeous. Also, if you substitute cranberry juice for apple juice, fresh cranberries will signal that the mulled wine contains cranberry flavors.
- Substitute Star Anise. Instead of using 6 whole cloves, you can substitute just one star anise. Star anise is an entirely different flavor from cloves. It tastes and smells like licorice. If you prefer that flavor to cloves, please make this substitution. But generally, I do not recommend using cloves and star anise together in a recipe. In my opinion, star anise is a powerful spice that can dominate any other spice.
- Substitute Chinese Five Spice. If you can't afford to purchase whole cloves, whole allspice, and cinnamon sticks, consider purchasing Chinese Five Spice which contains star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Szechuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds. The flavor of this spice blend is well-balanced, and although different from the spices I listed, it is economical to get a pleasant spice profile from a single purchase. (Although I cautioned not to use star anise with cloves in a recipe, this is an exception.)
How to Make Mulled Wine in a Slow Cooker
The mulled red wine recipe can also be made in a slow cooker. Simply combine all ingredients into a crock pot that holds at least 8 cups and heat on low for 1 hour. Then reduce the heat to warm.
You can set a serving station around the slow cooker for guests to help themselves to the warm mulled wine. Place serving mugs alongside the slow cooker along with your chosen garnishes in small bowls, like slices of orange, cinnamon sticks, fresh cranberries, and sprigs of rosemary. Finish the festive setup with a ladle on a spoon rest and a dark kitchen towel to blot drips.
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📖 Recipe
Mulled Red Wine
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Ingredients
- 1 Bottle Red Wine, 750 Milileters
- 1 ½ Cups Apple Juice
- ½ Cup Brandy
- ½ Cup Triple Sec
- ½ Cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 6 Whole Cloves
- 6 Whole Allspice Berries
- 1 Small Orange
Garnish:
- 6 Cinnamon Sticks
Instructions
- Combine. In an 8-cup saucepan, combine the red wine, apple juice, brandy, triple sec, sugar, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and whole allspice.1 Bottle Red Wine, 1 ½ Cups Apple Juice, ½ Cup Brandy, ½ Cup Triple Sec, ½ Cup White Granulated Sugar, 1 Cinnamon Stick, 6 Whole Cloves, 6 Whole Allspice Berries
- Add Peel. Cut the orange in half. Remove the outermost part of the peel from one-half of the orange and add it to the wine mixture.1 Small Orange
- Simmer. Heat the wine over medium-low heat until the mixture barely comes to a simmer. Immediately, reduce heat to low heat and let the mulled wine heat for at least 20 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes.As the mulled wine heats, slice the other half of the orange and cut each slice into quarters. Set these quarter-slices aside for garnishing.
- Serve and Enjoy. Ladle the mulled wine into mugs and garnish each mug with a fresh quarter-slice of orange and a cinnamon stick. Serve and enjoy!6 Cinnamon Sticks
Notes
Nutrition
Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.
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