This mulled wine recipe is the ultimate comfort drink for the holidays and Winter season! Delicious, super cozy and so easy to make in your slow cooker or on the stove, it’s a spiced alcoholic beverage that’s sure to bring joy.
Make a big batch of slow cooker mulled wine to share with friends at your next holiday party or heat a small pot of it on the stove for yourself, either way, don’t go through the cold seasons without this warm drink in your hands. Nothing better than a good chat with a group of friends with a hot mug of mulled wine warming your hands and spirit on a cold December night.
What is mulled wine?
Mulled wine is a wonderful warm wine and spices combination that brings comfort and warmth into your life. It’s a wonderful winter drink, much like a warm red sangria, but made better thanks to the spiced additions.
Mulled wine is also known as glüwhein in German, vin brulé or vin chaud in French, glögg in Swedish, vino quente in Portuguese (among a gazillion other names). So it’s widely known and well-loved in many countries during the Winter for a very good reason: it’s so delicious!
In this recipe, we are going to share with you the easiest ever recipe to make a batch of this incredibly good drink at home, both with instructions on how to make it on the slow cooker and also on the stove. Are you ready to have your home smelling like absolute heaven?
Mulled Wine Ingredients:
- Dry red wine
- Oranges
- Cinnamon sticks
- Star anise
- Whole cloves
- Cardamon pods
- Whole nutmeg
- Brown sugar
- Garnishes
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
How to make mulled wine:
Mulled wine crockpot instructions
- To make your drink in the slow cooker, start by setting it to low heat.
- Add in your wine, muddling spices, orange wheels, and sugar.
- Stir together to combine and to help dissolve the sugar.
- Let the slow cooker warm the drink for an hour.
Mulled wine Stove top instructions:
- In a medium-sized pan, heat your wine, muddling spices, orange wheels, and sugar.
- Stir to combine and to help dissolve the sugar.
- Cook over low heat for 30 minutes without bringing the mixture to a boil.
- Boiling will cause the alcohol to evaporate.
Serving instructions:
Strain the wine through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all of the whole seasonings and fruit chunks.
Serve your hot wine in glasses with garnishes of orange wheels, one cinnamon stick, and one-star anise on each glass.
Enjoy warm.
Mulled wine spices:
- Cinnamon sticks
- Cloves
- Cardamom
- Nutmeg
- Star anise
It’s best to use whole spices, do not use powder, otherwise, the wine will become sandy and the final product will not be that nice to drink. Also, whole spices have a much more fresh and intense flavor.
- Fresh oranges, to add a touch of citrus brightness and also for garnish on each glass.
- Sweetener, you can use white or brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup. Usually, I prefer it with honey or brown sugar. If you choose sugar, I recommend using brown sugar, since it contains molasses in it, it will give a richer flavor.
- Other liquors, sometimes mulled wine can be “spiced up” with the addition of other liquor. This step is optional, although you can use brandy or cognac, bourbon, or a nice golden rum, it all depends on how strong you want the final drink to be.
Recipe Tips
- For a nice spicy kick, you can add in some freshly peeled ginger root.
- You can add a cup of fresh or frozen red fruits to change the flavor a bit and make it different.
- For the spices you can use a cotton spice bag, so they’ll not float around and will be easier to take them away in the end. A good example of this would be a “nut milk bag.” these are bags that are food-grade safe and often used to make homemade almond milk or cold brew coffees.
- If you want to add an additional liquor, the quantities are up to you, but I would not go higher than half a cup of it, otherwise, it can turn out too strong.
- How to store leftover mulled wine– The mulled wine can be stored in a crystal bottle in the fridge for up to a week. If you store it, you can reheat it on a small saucepan on low or in the microwave also on low.
FAQs
What does mulled wine taste like?
Earthy, sweet, spiced, and very aromatic with a subtle kick of alcohol, mulled wine is a drink made in heaven! Also, aside from being incredibly delicious and easy to make, it is very customizable with the spices of your liking. The ingredients are very easy to get and are rather inexpensive.
What is the best wine for mulled wine?
A bottle of red wine, as the base of the drink and main ingredient,(best if you choose a dryer type), no need to buy a fancy bottle, believe me, I’ve tried this recipe many times with different qualities of wine, and there’s not much difference with the final product.
Mulled Wine Recipe With Slow Cooker and Stove-Top Directions
Get ready to be transported to a Winter Wonderland with this incredibly delicious Mulled Wine: earthy, sweet, spiced, and very aromatic with a subtle kick of alcohol.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of dry red wine (75 ml)
- 2 oranges, sliced into wheels.
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2-3 star anise (depending on their size)
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves (around 6-8)
- ½ tablespoon cardamom pods
- 1 whole nutmeg
- ½ cup brown sugar (or to taste)
Garnish:
- 1 orange cut in wheels or wedges.
- 1 cinnamon stick for each glass
- 1-star anise for each glass
- ¼ or ½ cup of other liquor such as brandy or bourbon (optional)
Instructions
To make it on the slow cooker:
Set the slow cooker on low heat.
Add the wine, muddling spices, orange wheels, and sugar.
Stir to combine and help dissolve the sugar.
Let the slow cooker do its magic for 1 hour.
To make it on the stovetop:
On a medium pan, add the wine, muddling spices, orange wheels, and sugar.
Stir to combine and help dissolve the sugar.
Cook on low heat for 30 min without bringing to a boil, otherwise, the alcohol will evaporate.
To serve it:
strain with a fine-mesh strainer.
Serve with a couple of fresh orange wheels, one cinnamon stick, and one star anise for garnish on each glass.
Enjoy while it’s warm
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