• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Encharted Cook logo
  • Recipes
  • Charts
  • The Dish
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Charts
  • The Dish
  • About
  • Subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Charts
  • The Dish
  • About
  • Subscribe
×

Home » Recipes » Beverage Recipes

Mulled Red Wine

Published: Dec 16, 2020 by Jan Nunes

Skip to Recipe Pin It Now!
Glass mug containing a dark red beverage that is garnished with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick. Pinterest Pin 1
Two images - Orange zest being added to wine in a pot. Also the image of a glass mug containing a dark red beverage that is garnished with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick. Pinterest Pin L-1
Several glass mugs containing a dark red beverage that are garnished with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick. Pinterest Pin 3

This traditional homemade mulled red wine recipe is very easy to make. So warm and cozy for sipping on cool winter nights!

Square image of Deep red wine in a clear glass mug garnished with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick. A small metal decorative house is in the background.
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • My Top Tips
  • Substitutions & Variations
  • Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

The first time I had mulled wine was at a Christmas market for artisan crafts that was held indoors in downtown San Francisco. 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 is 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 their own 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.

Are you excited to try mulled wine? Great! So, let's cook!

Ingredients

Ingredients for mulled wine, clockwise from top left: red wine, apple juice, brandy, triple sec, sugar, orange, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, whole allspice.

In my version of mulled wine, I stick closely to the flavor profile of red wine, orange, and cinnamon. I enhance the spice profile by adding whole cloves and whole allspice.

I use apple juice instead of water to lighten the flavor of the wine, as it pairs well with most red wines. Since the wine is gently simmered, it will evaporate. If you do not add water or fruit juice the drink will be too concentrated and not as pleasant to drink.

I also add brandy and triple sec. The addition of these add more depth of flavor. The brandy brings flavors of oak (vanilla), dried fruit, and may have a hint of floral notes. The triple sec adds a greater depth of orange flavor.

Lastly, please use a full-bodied red wine that you enjoy drinking. It doesn't have to expensive, but it should be flavorful. Good choices are Bordeaux, Claret, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and my favorite, Malbec.

Instructions

This recipe is very, very easy! Simply measure and add everything to a large sauce pan and let the wine simmer on very low heat for no more than 20 minutes.

Adding just the zest of the orange peel to the mulled wine adds great orange flavor and no bitterness. The spices are shown in the background.

In this photo I have added everything to a large saucepan and am adding the orange zest. The next step is to simmer the mulled wine. While it simmers, I cut the remaining orange into slices and quarter each slice for the garnish.

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 over medium-low heat.

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 Star Anise - Instead of using 6 whole cloves you can substitute 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 do make this substitution. But in general, I do not recommend using both cloves and star anise. In my opinion star anise is a powerful spice and can dominate any other spice.

♥ Substitute Chinese Five Spice - If you can't afford purchasing whole cloves, whole allspice, and the 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 an economical way to get a pleasant spice profile from a single purchase. Although I cautioned to not use star anise together with cloves in this recipe, this is an exception.

Deep red wine in a clear glass mug garnished with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick.

Even if you can't go to a Christmas Market, you can make mulled red wine at home and have a taste of warm spiced memories of Christmas each and every year!

Glass mug containing a dark red beverage that is garnished with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick. Pinterest Pin 9

Pin This Now!

Want to save this Mulled Red Wine recipe for later? Save it to your Pinterest board!

Related Recipes

  • Maple Beam & Cream Cocktail
  • Irish Cream Coffee
  • Minty Kiss Hot Chocolate
  • Coconut Rum Sunrise Cocktail

📖 Recipe

Square image and close up view of deep red wine in a clear glass mug garnished with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick.

Mulled Red Wine

4.67 from 3 votes
Encharted Cook | Jan Nunes
This traditional homemade mulled red wine recipe is very easy to make. So warm and cozy for sipping on cool winter nights!
Prevent your screen from going dark
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 326 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 750 ml Bottle of 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
  • 1 Small Orange

Garnish:

  • 6 Cinnamon Sticks

Instructions
 

  • To an 8-cup saucepan, add the red wine, apple juice, brandy, triple sec, sugar, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and whole allspice.
    1 750 ml Bottle of 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
  • 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
  • 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.
  • Ladle the mulled wine into mugs and garnish each mug with a fresh quarter-slice of orange and also a cinnamon stick.
    6 Cinnamon Sticks
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

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 over medium-low heat.
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 liquor. Simply replace the ½ cup of brandy with ½ cup of Grand Marnier. Although Grand Marnier is expensive, this is a splurge that is absolutely worth the cost!
♥ Substitute Star Anise - Instead of using 6 whole cloves you can substitute 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 do make this substitution. But in general, I do not recommend using both cloves and star anise. In my opinion star anise is a powerful spice and can dominate any other spice.
♥ Substitute Chinese Five Spice - If you can't afford purchasing whole cloves, whole allspice, and the 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 an economical way to get a pleasant spice profile from one purchase. Although I cautioned to not use star anise and cloves in this recipe, this is an exception.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg

All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.

centered image

More Beverage Recipes

  • Classic Hot Toddy
  • Brandy Manhattan Cocktail
  • Tequila Hot Toddy
  • Homemade Ginger Ale
  • Share
  • Twitter
  • Email

Primary Sidebar

Hello and Welcome to Encharted Cook!

I'm Jan and I love to cook for friends and family. Over the years I have learned that many recipes are related and if you learn to make one delicious dish and you can make many more. So come join me as I chart recipes and ingredients and share my favorite dishes.

More about Jan →

♥ Featured Web Story

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup Story

♥ All-Time Reader Favs

  • Coconut Rum Sunrise Cocktail
  • Everything Chaffle
  • Easy Ground Beef Enchiladas
  • Maple Beam and Cream Cocktail
  • Pizza Eggs
  • Red Wine Sauce with Berries

♥ Featured Chart

  • How to Make Crumb and Streusel Toppings

♥ Follow Me on Feedly!

follow us in feedly

Footer

↑ back to top

More About Encharted Cook

Privacy Policy
Copyright Notice
Contact Me

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • RSS Feed

COPYRIGHT © 2018 - 2023 ENCHARTED COOK, JAN NUNES