With the flavour and scent quintessential of Christmas, what better way to enjoy the festivities than with a warming glass of mulled wine in hand.
Simple and easy to make. It's the perfect drink to offer guests on a cold winters evening and a must at festive parties.
A glass of warming spiced mulled wine usually marks the beginning of my festive celebrations and is a lovely start to Christmas. Be it when I have friends and family around for festive drinks or a sneaky glass before a festive gig with my choir; it's a great way to warm up before singing on a drafty station concourse for a bit of charity fundraising.
Traditionally served here in the UK at Christmas and to a lesser extent throughout the winter, for a while, it waned in popularity. But with the growing popularity of the continental Christmas markets so too has the popularity of mulled wine grown again. So much so now it seems to be as much a part of our Christmas today as mince pies.
In the Christmas markets, you may also see mulled wine sold as Glühwein (from German-speaking countries) or the Nordic Glögg. It is basically the same thing, spiced warm sweetened wine. The flavour varies according to the spices used and there are many different variations and names for this warming winter tipple.
Ingredients
- Wine – While you certainly don't need a fine expensive wine for mulling, and to use it would be a waste, equally don't buy any old cheap plonk. Choose a cheapish wine that is a medium-bodied fruity wine. Look for a description like jammy , fruity or berries on the label. If choosing by the grape variety a Merlot, Tempranillo, Granache or Pinot Noir are good choices.
- Oranges and lemons - add a nice citrus note to the wine, and they add a decorative touch floating in the pan. Have extra slices for garnished if desired.
- Sugar – I don't like very sweet mulled wine myself, so I keep the sugar to a minimum. Start with the amount in the recipe and adjust to your liking. The addition of a bit more caster sugar later is easy but you cannot take it out once it's added! Honey or even maple syrup can also be used to sweeten the wine.
- Brandy – A slug of brandy is often added just before serving. It doesn't need a lot just to give it that little extra kick and can be left out altogether if preferred. I find an orange flavoured liqueur can also make a delicious change as will a little Port.
- Spices – The spices used in mulled wine will vary from country to county and recipe to recipe. To me, cinnamon and cloves are a must for a traditional mulled wine, and I like to add cardamom pods. Generally speaking always use whole spices as ground spices can make the wine a little gritty. That said I do usually add a little finely grated nutmeg. Other spices you could use include:
- vanilla
- allspice
- star anise
- ginger
- juniper
Easily scaleable
Because I generally make mine when I have guests I have made this recipe to serve around 10- 12 people but you can easily halve it. For large quantities increase the wine, sugar and orange juice proportionally but not the spices.
For 3 bottles of wine, I would add 1 extra cinnamon stick and a couple of extra cloves and for 4 bottles I would add 1 extra cinnamon stick, a couple of extra cardamom pods and a couple of extra cloves.
How to make mulled wine step by step
It is very easy to make and starts with a sugar syrup to which spices are added to allow them to infuse before adding the red wine. Best of all it fills your home with delicious sweet spicy aromas.
1 Heat the orange juice and water in a large pan with the sugar and spices stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
2 Add the sliced oranges and lemons to the syrup.
3 Pour in the wine and heat gently to just below simmering for at least 15 minutes.
4 Just before serving stir in a small glass of brandy. Keep warm and pour into heatproof glasses to serve.
Top tips
The key to making mulled wine is to experiment and get it just right for your own tastes. There is no right or wrong.
- For the spices, use this recipe as a starting point and then adapt to suit. If you really like ginger add a bit of that, gin fans may like the flavour of juniper in their mulled wine. See the ingredients section for other flavouring you can try. But don't go overboard and throw everything in.
- Choose the right wine, nothing too heavy or with a lot of tannins. If you like you can even use a white wine.
- Do not let the mulled wine boil.
- Sweeten to taste. Start off cautiously and stir a little more sugar into the warm wine if required.
Prepare the base for the mulled wine ahead
If you want to get ahead and save any last-minute rushing, make the syrup up in the morning, add the sliced fruit, cover and leave in a cool place until you're ready. Then add the wine to the pan and heat for about 15 minutes before your first guests are due to arrive.
Take care when heating the mulled wine. You want to avoid boiling the mixture as this will drive off all the alcohol and will spoil the flavour. The trick is to keep it just below simmering so that the wine is hot with just the occasional bubble rising to the surface.
Serving
After infusing the mulled wine can be kept warm for several hours. Serve spooned into heatproof glasses or mugs. Avoid using your fine wine glasses as they may break from the heat.
Some recipes suggest straining before serving, others suggest removing the whole spices. I don't always bother as the whole spices can look pretty in the wine. But if you do leave them in it may be worth mentioning to your guests just in case they are not aware as you don't want anyone choking on the whole spices. If in doubt then it may be best to strain.
Mulled wine can be served on its own but it is also delicious served with mince pies, Christmas cookies or biscotti.
Slow cooker mulled wine
You can make mulled wine in a slow cooker or crockpot. Combine all the ingredients in the pot and heat on low for 1 to 2 hours before required. Alternatively, make the wine in a pan and then keep warm in the crockpot. Perfect for parties!
How long will mulled wine keep?
Keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Leftovers
Can be used to make mulled wine sorbet a lovely festive dessert.
Fancy trying something different? Try my Mulled Cider flavoured with ginger, star anise and cinnamon or for a non-alcoholic version try Mulled cranberry punch
Mulled wine
Equipment
- saucepan
- spoon
- strainer (optional)
- ladle to serve
Ingredients
- 2 oranges
- 1 lemon
- 300 ml water
- 75 g caster sugar
- 2 cinnamon slicks
- 6 cloves
- 5 cardamon pods crushed
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 bottles full bodied red wine
Instructions
- Slice one orange and squeeze the juice from the other. Slice the lemon.
- Place the orange juice, 300ml (½pt) water, 75g (3oz) sugar, and the spices in a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and boil gently for 5 minutes.
- Add the orange and lemon slices followed by 2 bottles of wine. Heat until just beginning to simmer.
- Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for at least 15 minutes. Do not allow it to boil. Taste and add a little more sugar if required. Starin if desired. Serve hot in sturdy glasses.
Notes
- For the spices, use this recipe as a starting point and then adapt to suit. If you really like ginger add a bit of that, gin fans may like the flavour of juniper in their mulled wine. See the ingredients section for other flavourings you can try. But don't go overboard and throw everything in.
- Choose the right wine, nothing too heavy or with a lot of tannins. If you like you can even use white wine.
- Do not let the mulled wine boil.
- Sweeten to taste. Start off cautiously and stir a little more sugar into the warm wine if required.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in December 2015 and was one of the first recipes made easy. It has been republished in 2021 with new photographs and lots of extra hints and tips for success every time!
Rebecca - Glutarama says
BRILLIANT! this is perfect, I always buy mulled wine and one year someone got me some little muslin bags with mulled wine spice so made my own, it was lovely but never been able to recreate it so now I can with this recipe - thank you.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Personally, I think this is nicer than commercial mulled wines as it is not as sweet but you can always sweeten to taste.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
Every year I tell myself to make mulled wine... But I never get round to it! This year has to be the year... We have a new fire pit and that's got to be the perfect excuse... right? No worries about 'social distancing' either!!
And... now I have the perfect recipe here too
Thanks for sharing #CookBlogShare
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Enjoy around your fire pit Kate. Its so easy you will wonder why you haven't made it before. Cheers!