Mulled Wine Recipe

This traditional homemade mulled wine recipe is incredibly easy to make and always SO cozy and delicious.

Also known as glühwein, vino caliente, glögg, vin brulé, bisschopswijn, vin chaud, candola, vinho quente…or literally a hundred other names, depending on where in the world life may find you. Needless to say, it seems like just about everyone in the world loves some hot wine. And clearly, I can vouch that you all do too!

I actually first shared this recipe five years ago this month, after returning home from a chilly trip to Spain and England in 2012, where my friends I loved warming up mugs of hot wine each evening in the pubs. Since then, literally hundreds of thousands of you have pulled up this recipe to simmer warm batches for yourself. (Amazing!) And I ironically now find myself living back in the continent where I first fell in love with the drink, where we have been served warm mugs of mulled wine at nearly every holiday gathering and Christmas market and food festival we attend. In our first holiday season away from home, this festive drink has felt more comforting and nostalgic and delicious as ever.

So today, in honor of my mulled wine recipe’s 5 year-iversary on the blog, I thought I would bump it back up to the top of the site (along with a new step-by-step video and fresh photos) for those of you who may also looking to simmer a cozy batch for yourself this winter.

Because after having made this recipe dozens and dozens of times myself over the years, I am absolutely convinced that homemade mulled wine just about the easiest recipe ever for winter and holiday entertaining. Truly. It literally just takes about 5 minutes to prep and can be made either on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. It’s easy to scale anywhere from a “date night” to two…up to big holiday parties with dozens. It’s totally customizable with your favorite spices and liqueurs. And it’s guaranteed to make your home smell absolutely amazing and warm everyone up on a chilly winter night.

Mulled Wine

Homemade mulled wine is incredibly easy to make on the stovetop (or simmer in the slow cooker), it’s easy to customize with your favorite spices and add-ins, and it is SO cozy and delicious. Perfect for winter and holiday entertaining!

Prep: 5min

Total: 25min

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 (750 ml) bottle of dry red wine
• 1/4 cup brandy (or orange liqueur)
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds (also peeled, if you would like a less-bitter drink)
• 8 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise
• 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar, honey, or maple syrup to taste (or your desired sweetener)
• optional garnishes: citrus slices (orange, lemon and/or lime), extra cinnamon sticks, extra star anise

Instruction:

1. Add wine, brandy, orange slices, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, and 2 tablespoons sweetener to a large saucepan. Stir briefly to combine.
2. Cook the mulled wine on medium-high heat until it just barely reaches a simmer. (Avoid letting it bubble — you don’t want to boil off the alcohol.) Reduce heat to low, cover, and let the wine simmer for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 hours.
3. Using a fine mesh strainer, remove and discard the orange slices, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. Give the mulled wine a taste, and stir in extra sweetener if needed.
4. Serve warm in heatproof mugs, topped with your favorite garnishes.

Classic Mulled Wine

Warm up with this classic mulled wine recipe! It’s so easy to make. Gather a few basic ingredients and you’ll be sipping mulled wine in 15 minutes! Recipe yields 1 bottle’s worth of mulled wine (about 5 servings); multiply as desired.

Prep: 5min

Total: 15min

Yield: 5

Serving Size: 1 serving made with 1 tablespoon maple syrup total

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 serving made with 1 tablespoon maple syrup total, calories 172 calories, Sugar 5.7 g, Sodium 6.8 mg, Fat 0 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Carbohydrate 9.9 g, Fiber 0.6 g, Protein 0.4 g, Cholesterol 0 mg

Ingredients:

• 2 small oranges or 1 large
• 1 bottle of affordable Merlot, Zinfandel or Garnacha (also called Grenache)
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, to taste
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 3 star anise
• 4 whole cloves
• Optional garnishes: Fresh whole cranberries (about 1/4 cup), cinnamon sticks, additional orange rounds or half moons

Instruction:

1. To prepare the oranges, if using 2 small, slice one orange into rounds and slice the other in half. If using 1 large orange, slice it in half through the round middle, then slice one of the halves into rounds. Place the rounds into a medium heavy-bottomed pot or small Dutch oven. Squeeze the juice from the remaining oranges into the pot.
2. Pour the wine into the pot, followed by the brandy. Add 1 tablespoon of the sweetener for now. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves.
3. Warm the mixture over medium heat until steaming (about 5 minutes), and keep an eye on it. When you start seeing the tiniest of bubbles at the surface, reduce the heat to the lowest of low.
4. Carefully taste, and add another tablespoon of sweetener if it’s not sweet enough for your liking. If it’s not spicy enough to suit your preferences, continue cooking over very low heat for 5 to 10 more minutes.
5. Serve in mugs with your desired garnishes! If you’re adding cranberries as I did, you can add them to the pot to make it look extra festive.
6. If you expect to polish off the mulled wine within 20 minutes or so, you can keep it on the stove over extra-low heat (it will become more spicy with time). Otherwise, remove it from the heat, cover, and rewarm over low heat if necessary. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, covered (pour it through a strainer if you don’t want it to become any more spicy than it already is).

Mulled Wine

Warm up this winter with this easy Mulled Wine recipe. Complete with all your favorite spices, honey, orange, and brandy, one cup will soothe your soul.

Prep: 5min

Total: 20min

Yield: 6 serving(s)

Nutrition Facts: calories 209 Calories, Fat 0 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 6 mg, Carbohydrate 18 g, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 14 g, Protein 1 g

Ingredients:

• 1 (750-ml.) bottle red wine
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds, plus more for garnish
• 6 whole cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks, plus more for garnish
• 3 star anise
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/2 c. brandy

Instruction:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients. Bring to a simmer not a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes.
2. Serve warm and garnish with more citrus slices and cinnamon sticks.

Mulled Wine

The best mulled wine with brandy, apple cider, and mulling spices for the stovetop or slow cooker. A festive spiced wine for the holidays!

Prep: 5min

Total: 35min

Yield: 6

Serving Size: 1 (of 6), about 8 fluid ounces

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 (of 6), about 8 fluid ounces, calories 228 kcal, Carbohydrate 28 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 22 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 0.3 g, Saturated Fat 0.04 g, unSaturated Fat 0.14 g

Ingredients:

• 750 ml red wine ((1 bottle) — choose something fruity but not too sweet—Merlot, Zinfandel, or Cabernet Sauvignon all work well)
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 orange (zested and juiced)
• 5 whole cloves
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 whole star anise
• 1/4 cup brandy
• Orange slices (for garnish)
• Cinnamon sticks (for garnish)

Instruction:

1. Add wine, cider, honey, orange zest and orange juice to a Dutch oven or similar large pot and stir to combine.
2. Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer gently for 30 minutes; do not let the wine boil.
3. Stir in the brandy. To serve, ladle into mugs and garnish with an orange slice and cinnamon sticks.

Mulled Wine Recipe | How to Make Mulled Wine

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