Mulled wine is one of those drinks that just screams “Holiday Party Alert!” It’s warm and spicy and makes any awkward Christmas party seem a little more fun for sure.
While there are lots of variations on mulled wine recipes, it’s kind of one of those things where you can’t go wrong since most of the usual ingredients compliment each other anyway.
Related: Check out 40 Fun Cocktails to Make at Home for more recipes!
The great thing is that while mulled wine sounds so fancy, it’s really easy to make and can be done in pretty big batches if you are having a large group of people over. “But what should I add to the wine?” you wonder? Well, let’s take a look at the options!
Ingredients
Wine:
bottle of dry red wine (like a Cabernet Sauvignon) 750 ml
Fruit:
cranberries (1 cup)
apples (1 sliced into rings)
oranges (1 sliced or zested with juice added, add more peels for garnish)
lemons (1 zested or peeled, add more peels for garnish)
limes (1 zested or peeled, add more peels for garnish)
Spices:
nutmeg (1 roughly grated)
cinnamon sticks (2)
cardamom pods (2, press with the flat side of a knife to bruise them first)
whole cloves (4)
star anise (2)
vanilla bean (halved lengthwise)
ginger root (small slice)
bay leaves (1-2)
Other additions:
apple cider (4 cups)
brandy (1/4 cup)
honey or sugar (1/4 cup)
water (dilute to taste)
Directions
Now, all those measurements are for one bottle of wine, but remember, they are just a starting point. When doing a mix and match like this, it’s best to start on the lower end of a measurement and then add to taste.
You can also put the spices into a cheese cloth bundle if you want the flavor but don’t want them floating around in drinks (some people like that look, others don’t). Add all the ingredients into a pot and heat over medium heat until almost boiling (make sure your sugar dissolves if you add sugar).
Then bring to a low simmer for about 20 minutes to let the flavors meld. Serve warm and enjoy!
How about a ginger/orange mulled wine or a vanilla/apple combo? Maybe a cranberry/lime or a honey/anise?? The options are endless! Make sure to jot down your favorite combination so you can make it again later, or if you’re daring, try a new combination every time! Cheers! xo. Laura
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Ingredients
- 1 bottle dry red wine
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1 apple
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 1 lime
- 1 nutmeg
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 cardamom pods
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 vanilla bean
- ½ inch ginger root
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups apple cider
- ¼ cup brandy
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into a pot and heat over medium heat until almost boiling (make sure your sugar dissolves if you add sugar).
- Then bring to a low simmer for about 20 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Does anyone know if I can use different types of wine together? The recipe i found calls for 2 bottles and I have a cab and a pinot.
Yes, you can use other red wines! Typically a dry red wine is best but you can play around and see what tastes you like!
Laura
I love mulled wine! This sounds lovely.
Who Let the Mum Out?
Jamie Oliver has a great recipe for mulled wine that takes care of this problem – you basically make a syrup first and then just add the majority of the alcohol at the end so it doesn’t burn off – see http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/recipe/jamie-s-mulled-wine/
Just some! Pick the ones that sound the best together and create your own combo!
Laura 🙂
I’m confused…. Should I be using all of these ingredients or just picking some?
This looks like it would be delicious. Not everything on the list looks like something I would enjoy but I’m sure I could find a combination that I’d like. I’m a sucker for cider and wassail so this could be another addition to my holiday drinks.
Odd question, but could you share more about that pot you’re using? It looks like it would fit perfectly in my kitchen! Thanks much 🙂
I make it in the crockpot on low. Give it at least an hour for the flavors to meld. Then it can stay in there for hours without getting too strong.
Yum, can’t wait to try this, I bet the smell alone is so blissful!
I’m sure you could do either, try searching online for a recipe that cooks it in the crockpot so you can see how long to keep it on which settings 🙂
Laura
Nope, it doesn’t cook long enough to do that 🙂
Laura
what if you want to serve this at a party and keep it in a crockpot? would you make it IN the crockpot or just follow your directions then dump it into a crockpot on low?
Looks amazing!
www.bethgargett.com
If you let it simmer doesn’t all of the alcohol burn off? Then it would just be mulled juice 🙂
My mom makes this, and she lets it simmer all day, but it still has alcohol in it when we go to drink it at dinner. I don’t know how it works, but it does.
Dans Akademi olarak düğün hazırlıklarınızın tamamında uzman danışmanlık hizmeti veriyoruz. Türkiye’nin en iyi eğitmenlerinden ders almanızı sağarken danışmanlarımızla da düğün dansınızın kusursuz olmasını sağlıyoruz.
http://www.dugundansi.com.tr/dugun-koclugu/
#düğün #düğündansı #düğünkoçluğu
Wonderful recipe, here in Germany this is called ‘Glühwein’! I will definitely try this!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
I swear the ABM team reads my mind sometimes. I planned to find a mulled wine recipe tomorrow for a party I’m hosting this weekend. Checked in before going to bed and see you provided ALL the options! Thank you!!!
That moment when a blog post makes you realize that mulled wine is really just wintertime sangria. AND I LOVE SANGRIA!
We love this kind of drinks for winter, so we do often home parties for friends and these ideas are perfect!
http://www.inatrendytown.com
Mulled wine sounds so good right now! I love to do it (and cider) in a crock pot. That way you can really let the spices meld for a couple of hours for a stronger flavor. Cheers!