Mulled Wine
What is mulled wine?
Mulled wine, aka “spiced wine” or “hot wine” is a warm drink that’s popular during the holidays in many European countries. It has become even more popular here in the U.S. over the past years, especially at outdoor Christmas markets. We have a huge one here in Chicago called the Christkindlmarket and they have some amazing mulled wine in cute, festive mugs.
Mulled wine is essentially red wine simmered with various cozy spices like cinnamon, cloves and star anise that give it a delicious, spiced flavor. You can make it with brandy or another dark liquor, too, for an extra kick!
Everything you’ll need to make homemade mulled wine
You’ll need under 10 ingredients to make this delicious mulled wine recipe. It’s SO easy to make and filled with wonderful flavors. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Red wine: I suggest using a medium or full-bodied red wine like merlot for a nice depth in the spiced wine recipe.
- Maple syrup: for a hint of sweetness and to balance the spices we’re adding some pure maple syrup.
- Liquor: add some extra “warmth” with brandy or bourbon. This also deepens the flavor in the mulled wine, but it’s optional!
- Citrus: we like to add a sliced orange to the mulled wine for a lovely citrus addition. It makes a beautiful garnish, too.
- Spices: the stars of the show are cinnamon sticks, star anise pods and whole cloves. They simmer in the wine and give off that glorious spiced flavor!
Homemade mulled wine in 3 simple steps
That’s right, once you have all of our spices and ingredients this hot wine recipe comes together in no time at all!
- Mix your ingredients. Start by adding all of the ingredients for the mulled wine to a large pot and stirring them together.
- Heat it up. Place your pot over medium heat and let the mixture heat up for 10 minutes. If the mixture starts to boil be sure to turn down the heat.
- Serve & enjoy! Once the mulled wine is nice and hot ladle it into mugs and garnish with and orange slice, cinnamon stick and star anise pod for a pretty look. Then enjoy!
