Mulled wine is your ultimate cozy holiday drink that will keep you warm this festive season! Simplest and easiest winter cocktail is here to help you kick start your holiday season! This traditional drink can be made on the stove top, slow cooker or instant pot.

traditional mulled wine in heat proof mugs with spices on sides

What Should You Know About Mulled Wine Recipe?

Hands down one of the easiest and simplest winter cocktail out there. It doesn’t get easier than steeping wine with winter warming spices, fruits and sweetener. Heat in pot on LOW flame to let the spices blend in.
Best ways to kick start holiday party. This vintage recipe adds a warm charm to the party; your guests would love it.
It can be made on the stove top, in slow cooker or crockpot without almost no prep work and no hands on cooking time.
A cozy drink to help warm up during winter evenings.
Comforting drink perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a crowd pleaser!
Steeping wine with spices, oh boy my house smells like Christmas! Don’t you want that beautiful scent to linger on?
Mulled wine sold in stores are mostly super sweet and spicy. And comparatively expensive.
Homemade version of traditional mulled wine is not just cheaper and helps you save $$, but you can control how sweet or how strong the spices should be steeped into the wine according to your preference.
No need to buy expensive bottle of red wine. The flavor of wine will be enhanced and changed with mulling. Grab a bottle of inexpensive wine.
It keeps well for 3 days in refrigerator. Great for make ahead drinks. But best served hot immediately.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 bottle of dry red wine I used Cabernet Sauvignon
½ cup brandy optional but recommended
½ cup demerara sugar or other sweetener of your choice like honey, maple syrup
2 orange cut into slices
6 cloves
2-3 cinnamon sticks
6-8 cardamom pods
4 star anise
1 teaspoon all spices

For Garnish:

Orange slices
Cinnamon sticks
Star Anise

all ingredients for traditional mulled wine recipe on white board

Wine – pick inexpensive bottle of dry red wine for mulled wine recipe. You don’t need expensive wine. You can use any of these Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Chianti, Merlot

Brandy – optional but will add a nice flavor the cocktail. Flavored liqueur like orange flavored brandy works great.

Spices – Be judicious on the amount of spices. Choose the amount of spices that suits YOUR taste. Feel free to include other spices that you may like or reduce the amount of spices mentioned in the recipe or leave out any spice that is not your personal favorite. Do NOT use ground spices.

A traditional mulled wine usually includes all these whole spices – cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom pods, all spices, cloves

Sweetener – feel free to use any sweetener of your choice. I have used demerara sugar. Granulate white sugar, honey, maple syrup or stevia can be used.

If you like sweeter cocktail increase the amount of sweetener in the recipe.

Fruits – fresh orange cut into slices. Other fruits can also be used.

Additions And Substitutions

Other Spices – Nutmeg, bay leaves, vanilla pod, fennel seeds, fresh ginger slices, chili pepper, coriander seeds.

Other Fruits – apples, pear, grapes are best choices.

Fresh Berries – berries can also be added. Berries like cranberries, cherries.

Some German mulled wine recipe calls for adding nuts and raisins. Almonds and raisins.

How To Make Mulled Wine On The Stove Top(with step-by-step pictorial)?

step by step picture collage of how to make mulled wine recipe

In a large sauce pan or pot pour red wine. Add in all whole spices – cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, star anise, all spice. Add demerara sugar, orange slices.
Give it a stir.
Heat wine on LOW flame. Behold the temptation to heat wine on high temperature and let it boil. Boiling will evaporate all alcohol from wine.
Cover and let it heat on LOWEST heat on your stove. Please do not let wine boil. Allow the spices and fruit flavors to steep into wine. You can let wine steep anywhere between 15 minutes to 5 hours. The longer you steep, flavors will be stronger.
When done, turn off flame. Strain spices and fruits from the pot using strainer. Discard fruits and spices. Note – I removed the fruits and most of the whole spices using strainer spatula. Tiny spices while all spices were strainer using a fine strainer.
Serve wine immediately in heat proof mugs. Mulled wine is best enjoyed while it’s hot.

How To Make Mulled Wine In Slow Cooker (Mulled Wine in Crockpot)?

Set slow cooker to low.
Pour wine, add spices, fruits and sweetener to the cooker. Stir.
Heat it until spices and fruits are steeped. You can steep it for 1 hour to 5 hours. The longer you steep, stronger the flavors will be.
Serve hot.

What Is Mulled Wine?

Mulled wine is a traditional winter cocktail. Wine steeped with mulling spices and fruits are served on cold winter evenings. It’s a great holiday drink for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Different regions make this age old traditional winter cocktail slightly different.

In some countries, nuts and raisins are also including to mulling wine.

German mulled wine cooked on the stove top in a pot

What’s The Best Wine For Mulled Wine Recipe?

No need to buy expensive bottle of red wine. The flavor of wine will be enhanced and changed with mulling. Grab a bottle of inexpensive wine.

Dry red wine is best .You can use any of these Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Chianti, Merlot

If you want to be mulled white wine, choose any inexpensive dry white wine and follow the recipe as it is.

Tips To Make Best Mulled Wine Recipe

For best results use dry red wine.
Wine should be heat low and slow. Hold the temptation to increase heat to boil wine assuming that might help steep fruits and spices into wine. No, it wont! You’d rather be boiling away all alcohol content from wine. DO NOT BOIL.
Use whole spices only. We do not want the grits of ground spices. Ground spices will make change wine texture to grainy and gritty which is not pleasant. Whole spices will impart beautiful flavor and aroma to the drink.
Be judicious on the amount of spices. Don’t go overboard. A few spices are enough to add flavor and aroma to the wine. Choose the amount of spices that suits YOUR taste.
Be sure to taste your mulled wine before serving. Stir in extra sweetener is you find the mulled wine too strong.
Be sure to fish out all the spices before serving. Use cheesecloth if you have to remove all the spices.
Other liqueur like brandy is optional but highly recommended. It will enhance the flavor.
Don’t miss out of garnish. Few slices of fresh oranges, cinnamon stick and star anise.
Always serve mulled wine hot in heat proof mugs.

hot mulled wine in heat proof mugs with spices on sides

MORE WINTER DRINKS:

Cranberry Margarita

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Cranberry Moscow Mule

Christmas Punch

Instant Pot Apple Cider

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Simple Mulled Wine Recipe