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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}

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 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

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.

Find it online: https://www.spiritedandthensome.com/mulled-wine-recipe/