A festive mulled wine is a perfect drink on a chilly winter day. Nothing can beat the experience of drinking a delicious warm spiced wine, except maybe sharing it with your loved ones during the holiday season. Today, right before the holidays, I want to share this recipe for my favourite winter drink, as everyone deserves a warm hug in a cup once in a while.
What is Mulled Wine?
The mulled wine is a spice-infused cooked wine that is absolutely simple and easy to make. It is deliciously aromatic, and I guarantee it will make your holiday gatherings or a date night extra special. The excellent part about this wine, is that you can make it just one hour before your guests arrive so you don’t have to worry about the prep time at all. All it takes is gathering the aromatic spices and start combining them to be cooked to perfection.
What You’ll Need to Make Mulled Wine
Bottle red wine – Grab a bottle of mid-priced red wine. No need to go overboard as this wine will be infused with spices. Therefore, save your fancy bottles for another day.
Anise stars – These cuties are pure magic. The anise stars add a fun liquorice flavour perfect for the final mulled wine festive taste. Plus, they are so beautiful floating in your cup like a little star of the show.
Cloves – I don’t think you can spice the wine to perfection without few cloves. They are so aromatic and so pretty.
Cardamom pods – If you are feeling a bit extra adventurous, try adding few cardamom pods. Make sure you lightly crush them so their flavours are well infused. Don’t buy too many as they are a bit pricey, bulk stores are perfect for small quantities.
Fresh orange juice – Squeeze some fresh orange juice for a sweet, fresh kick. This step is non-negotiable, so please use fresh oranges instead of a store bought juice as the flavour is incomparable.
Brandy – A splash of brandy will enrich the wine and bring all to another new level of perfection.
Grand Marnier liquor (optional, but strongly recommended) – If you have this orange-flavored liqueur at home, definitely add it. I tried making mulled wine with and without it and I guarantee it is much better with a bit Marnier added into it.
Maple Syrup – Instead of sugar or honey, I love using maple syrup. The maple syrup is naturally sweet and adds a hint of smokiness, which is perfect for our drink here.
Few tips
Don’t go overboard with the wine brand used. All you need is a bottle of middle price range wine. I used Argentinian Trapiche Malbec just because that is what we drink most of the time at home. But feel free to use what you prefer or already have on your wine rack. Save the fancy bottles for enjoying on its own.
Note: This recipe contains alcohol and is intended for individuals at a legal drinking age (depending on your local laws).
Festive Mulled Wine
Course: DrinksDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes20
minutes25
minutesNothing beats a warm mug of delicious mulled wine on a chilly winter day. Except, sharing the warm wine with your loved ones during the holiday season.
Ingredients
1 bottle red wine (750ml)
2-3 anise stars
6-7 cloves
3 cardamom pods (crushed)
2 oranges
50 ml brandy
30 ml Grand Marnier liquor (optional, but strongly recommended)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 cinnamon sticks
Directions
- Thinly slice an orange into rounds and squeeze the juice out of the other. Set it aside to prepare the base.
- In a Dutch oven or a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the wine, brandy, Grand Marnier (optional), and orange juice. Stir gently to mix them all.
- Sweeten the wine to taste. I like adding a bit of maple syrup, but feel free to adjust the sweetness to your preference.
- Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise, orange slices, cloves, and crushed cardamom pods. Gently stir to blend all the flavours. I think this is the most important step of the process, what makes the mulled wine completely divine.
- Now, let the wine gently simmer for 15–20 minutes. Make sure, you avoid boiling to preserve the wine flavour and prevent alcohol to evaporate.
- Turn off the heat and cover the pot and allow the mulled wine to rest for 5–10 minutes to let the flavours meld beautifully.
How to Serve the Mulled Wine
I love serving the wine in Moscow Mule copper mugs, but I am not too picky about this! Feel free to serve in glass mugs or wine glasses. To have full festive presentation, add the orange slices and spices in the cups. The recipe can serve 3-4 people, so if you have more people coming over, you’ll have to adjust the quantity accordingly. And of course, if you think someone might want a second glass, cook some more!
When to Make the Mulled Wine
Start making your mulled wine one hour before your guests arrive. Prep the ingredients in few hours ahead of time: slice the orange, squeeze the juice, crush the cardamom, and measure everything out. When the time for cooking comes, simply combine, simmer, and serve it warm. It is that simple! Enjoy!
How to Store Leftovers
Mulled wine is the best when served warm and freshly cooked. So you better don’t make too much, since it’s best at such freshly cook state.
