Mulled Wine

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Sweet, woody cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise pair with lemon and oranges to enhance the buttery texture of red wine in this delicious Mulled Wine holiday drink recipe! It’s a cornucopia of flavors and scents you and your guests will enjoy the whole evening! {Gluten-Free + Vegan}

I have wanted to make a Mulled Wine recipe for the longest time. But I’m picky about my dry wines, and I was worried I’d go to the trouble, all with high hopes, only to be completely disappointed. Umm, no. There’s no disappointment in a batch of Mulled Wine. Because not only is it straight-up delicious, it’s also easy to tweak to your tastes.

I was inspired by Mary Berry’s Mulled Wine recipe, along with Ali’s Mulled Wine recipe on Gimme Some Oven. And confession? K-Hubs and I had a blast playing around with ingredients and quantities to get just the flavors we wanted.

The sweet, woody flavors of the whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise will crescendo into a scent that permeates your home. That same scent will be complemented by the citrusy notes of the oranges and lemon. It is Christmas cheer in a stockpot, if ever such a thing were possible. I can literally walk down the stars from my bedroom to the kitchen and note mid-stair when the Mulled Wine hits my senses. This Mulled Wine recipe evokes a festive sensation that begs to be shared with others. Possibly with your one favorite person or amongst many friends and family. 

So, Spiriteds, let’s simmer a batch of Mulled Wine and let scents and flavors crescendo in our own homes, shall we?

Mulled Wine ingredients

I’m not sure if I’ve ever been more excited about an ingredient list before this. Probably I have, but I already don’t remember. lol  

• Red wine. There is no need to break the bank on the wine. A low-cost Merlot at your local grocery store will do the trick. I have also made this with a Red Blend as well as Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Whole cloves. I stick them in the oranges so they don’t float about the wine. Oranges. Any kind will do here. One whole orange or four to five smaller oranges will work. I use mandarin oranges because they are sweet and readily available at the store.
• Fresh lemon. I leave it in for about 30 minutes. But you can leave it in longer if you want a stronger lemony flavor. You can also add more lemons, as desired.
• Cinnamon sticks. I skip ground cinnamon here because I want to retain the buttery texture of the wine. Star anise. This aromatic makes a beautiful garnish. But it also adds a delicious flavor to the wine as warms. So, I use it as both an ingredient and as a garnish.
• Maple syrup. You can use another sweetener if you’d like to. I use 100% pure maple syrup because it complements the other ingredients particularly well and all without making the drink too sweet.
• Brandy or orange liqueur. I add this toward the end of the simmering time. Choose whatever you like or have on hand in the moment.

Side note: This spiced wine recipe is so easy to throw together, and it’s full of variations. Basically, you can experiment and explore each time you make it, and your tastebuds will be grateful.

How to make Mulled Wine

1. Combine in a stockpot the red wine, lemon, oranges, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and maple syrup. Simmer on a LOW to MEDIUM heat until the wine begins to bubble. Reduce heat to LOW, cover, and warm for about 45-minutes to an hour. If desired, remove the lemon halfway through.
2. With about 10 to 15 minutes of warming time remaining, add the orange liqueur or brandy. Replace lid and let warm for the time remaining.
3. Serve Mulled Wine in heat-proof mugs. For any remaining in the stockpot, leave heat on LOW to keep wine warm.
4. Refrigerate leftovers in glass jars for about 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers in a saucepan on a LOW heat until warmed.

Side note: You can serve your Mulled Wine straight from the stockpot or you can pour it through a wire mesh strainer first. And it’s always a good idea to recount the whole cloves before serving to make sure none have dislodged from their mandarin orange holders. 🙂

Recipe variations

One of the joys of making Mulled Wine is customizing it to what YOU will like. Below are additional ways to play around with your batch or to change it up from time to time!

• Add cranberries and pomegranate arils. These make excellent garnishes. But they can also be added to the recipe while it warms up. Note, however, the pomegranate arils will lose their color as the juices blend into the wine.
• Leave the lemon in the whole time or add more lemons. This absolutely depends on how piquant you want your mulled wine to taste. I’ve done both, and while I usually remove the lemon after 30 minutes in the stockpot, there’s no absolute reason you have to do the same. In fact, I didn’t notice a discernible difference when making Mulled Wine ahead of time to be reheated later. It’s when I’m making it right then and there to be consumed in that moment that I notice the difference. I chalk this up to the other flavors having more time to infuse the wine so the lemon doesn’t take over. 
• Add more spices or change them up. Cinnamon sticks and star anise are right at home here. But nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and ginger would work, too. Try to use whole or fresh ingredients where you can. One drawback to using ground spices is your buttery-textured wine can turn gritty. 

Best practice: You’ll lose a little quantity of liquid due to evaporation. So double or triple this recipe if you plan to serve it at a gathering. If you’re making it for date night in, then the recipe as written should easily serve two.

Troubleshooting your Mulled Wine recipe

When I make Mulled Wine, I like to have extra red wine, mandarin oranges, cinnamon sticks, maple syrup, and pomegranates on hand. That way I can adjust the flavor if something isn’t quite right. Fortunately, Mulled Wine can usually be resurrected with tweaks to the ingredients.

• You don’t want the Mulled Wine to boil, however if you notice it starts to, then turn down the heat or remove the stockpot from the stove. Taste test a cooled spoonful. If some of the wine or orange liqueur flavor is gone, then stream in a little more.
• To create a sweeter Mulled Wine increase the amount of mandarin oranges and maple syrup. You can also throw in extra pomegranate arils.
• If the wine is too sweet then keep an extra bottle of red nearby. Stream in a little more red from the second bottle and taste-test as you go until you have the balance you want.

Side note: I’ve made Mulled Wine in a saucepan and stockpot, and I still prefer the stockpot, even though it’s huge for such a small recipe. In fact, I think the large size is what works here. One, the wine warms up quickly. Two, there is room for the ingredients to spread out and infuse the drink, and three, the whole recipe warms more evenly so there aren’t pockets of cold or overcooked wine.

Can you make Mulled Wine in a slow cooker?

The technical answer is yes, you absolutely can. The more thorough answer is yes, but…

…you will need to keep a careful eye on the wine to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. One potential drawback to using a slow cooker is you don’t have as much temperature control as compared to a stockpot. Set your slow cooker to its lowest setting and keep it there, checking on your wine periodically. If your slow cooker has several options for temperature levels and cook time increments, then you may be able to follow the recipe almost exactly as though you were using a stockpot.

More holiday drinks to enjoy!

Spiriteds, if it’s a cup of cheer you’re looking for, then Mulled Wine is IN. But it’s not the only sip to enjoy this holiday season! Here are a few of our other favorites.

• Cherry Lime Champagne Cocktail
• Cranberry Pomegranate Mimosas
• Cranberry Pomegranate Margaritas
• Simple Sorbet au Champagne

Happy holidays, Spiriteds. I wish the best to you and yours. Stay well and stay wild. Jump into the fun when you can, and always know I’m glad you’re here. ❤️

Mulled Wine

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Sweet, woody cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise pair with lemon and oranges to enhance the buttery texture of red wine in this delicious Mulled Wine holiday drink recipe! It’s a cornucopia of flavors and scents you and your guests will enjoy the whole evening! {Gluten-free and Vegan}

• Author: Spirited and then Some
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 cups 1x
• Category: Mixed Drinks
• Method: Stovetop
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 bottle of merlot
• 1 fresh lemon, sliced in half and seeds removed
• 4 mandarin oranges or 1 whole orange, sliced in half, peeled, and seeds removed
• 10 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2–3 star anise
• 3 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup orange liqueur or brandy
• Optional: Handful each of cranberries and pomegranate arils

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Instructions

1. Combine in a stockpot the red wine, lemon, oranges, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and maple syrup. Simmer on a LOW to MEDIUM heat until the wine begins to bubble. Reduce heat to LOW, cover, and warm for about 45-minutes to an hour. If desired, remove the lemon halfway through.
2. With about 10 to 15 minutes of warming time remaining, add the orange liqueur or brandy. Replace lid and let warm for the time remaining.
3. Serve Mulled Wine in heat-proof mugs. For any remaining in the stockpot, leave heat on LOW to keep wine warm.
4. Refrigerate leftovers in glass jars for about 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers in a saucepan on a LOW heat until warmed.

Notes

• Insert the whole cloves into the fleshy parts of the oranges before adding them to the stockpot. This way, the wine absorbs the cloves’ flavors without the cloves floating in the wine when it’s served.
• Add cranberries and pomegranate arils. These make excellent garnishes. But they can also be added to the recipe while it warms up. Note, however, the pomegranate arils will lose their color as the juices blend into the wine. 
• Keep the heat on a LOW setting. On my stove, with a dial that goes from OFF to 10, I usually start out at FOUR on the heat level, and once the wine is bubbling, I back it down to a TWO.
• You can serve your Mulled Wine straight from the stockpot or you can pour it through a wire mesh strainer first. And it’s always a good idea to recount the whole cloves before serving to make sure none have dislodged from their mandarin orange holders. 🙂
• Yield is an approximation. You’ll lose some liquid to evaporation. Double or triple this recipe to make it for a larger crowd.