Mulled Wine is going to be your favorite Christmas cocktail. This great drink is easy to make, and is perfect for serving a crowd.
Nothing warms my heart quite like making delicious recipes for people to enjoy. (You know, hence the name of the blog, Simple Joy.) This joy gets amplified times a million when I am making recipes for those I love most around the holidays.
This deliciously simple hot mulled wine recipe. comes together with just a handful of ingredients and is easy to make. This festive drink is perfect to make for a gathering around the holidays!
How to Make Mulled Wine
This is a brief overview of how to make this delicious holiday cocktail. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Bring wine and mulled wine spices to a simmer. We are going to add two bottles of red wine, strips of orange and lemon peel, cinnamon, and whole cloves to a simmer with some brown sugar.
- Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes. You want to see bubbles, but you want them to be small, like the size of green peas or smaller. You don’t want to see giant bubbles, that will indicate your recipe is over too high of heat.
- Add in Brandy and Port. When the ten minutes are up, add in 2 cups each of Brandy and Port. You can see our recommendations for Port below. Let them just heat through for about a minute before turning off the heat.
- Garnish and serve. I think this looks the most beautiful when you toss in some fresh cranberries and orange slices for serving. But really it can be served as is too.
What Does Mulled Wine Taste Like
Mulled Wine has such a unique flavor that tastes just like fall. It is the perfect balance of sweet with the hint of spice in the background. If you like red wine, I think you will fall in love with this delicious cocktail recipe.
Mulled Wine Spices
We are using really simple spices for this recipe. Cinnamon sticks and whole cloves add an amazing background flavor to this great Christmas cocktail. The taste is so subtle that your guests will likely be unable to know what you added. But it adds an amazing layer.
If you love star anise, you can add a pod or two. I suggest that you go easy with these as they can overpower a recipe if you add too many. You could also add in some cardamom pods. I suggest using four or five.
Best Wine for Mulled Wine
For mulled wine you want to pick a dry red wine. We are adding sugar and port to this, so you don’t want it to be overwhelmingly sweet. Since we are using two bottles for this recipe, you could always pick two different red wines for a nice blend. Some great examples of dry red wines are:
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Malbec
- Pinot Noir
- Syrah.
Types of Port
Port is a sweet wine from Portugal, most often enjoyed after dinner. There are several different types of Port, but the most common are Tawny and Ruby. Tawny is a darker color, closer to brown. Ruby is more of deep red. Additionally, Tawny Port has a nutty flavor, while Ruby Port has more of a berry flavor.
In this recipe we are using Ruby Port for two reasons. The first is that it tends to be more affordable – and we are pouring in a whopping two cups to this recipe. Additionally the berry flavors pair perfectly with the other ingredients.
Cooking Wine
While the wine does get cooked in this recipe, the alcohol does not get cooked off. Contrary to popular belief, you need to cook a recipe for three hours to cook off the alcohol. In this recipe we are are simmering (lower heat) the mulled wine for only 10 minutes. Additionally, we add more liquor at the end.
Keeping Mulled Wine Warm
While this recipe is made on the stove top, I recommend transferring it to a slow cooker set to “warm” for serving. It will keep it’s nice warmth, without boiling off the alcohol.
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
While the slow cooker is the perfect way to keep mulled wine warm, you can also make it right in the slow cooker. My Slow Cooker Mulled Wine is just as delicious as this stovetop version.
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
Serving
This delicious cocktail should be served in mugs. I have linked below the mugs that you see in the photos. They are beautiful and perfect for celebrating the holidays. I like to garnish each glass with some of additional cinnamon sticks, orange slices, and of course cranberries.
Storing Mulled Wine
If you have leftovers after your party, they will be good for up to one week. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, cranberries, orange slices, and peels before storing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
When you are ready to drink it, you can reheat it over low heat on the stovetop. Additionally, this is great when you drink it at room temperature.
Other Christmas Cocktails
If you make this easy mulled wine recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Mulled Wine
Ingredients
- 1500 ml red wine 2 bottles of red, see our recommendations for types in the post
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (56.5 grams)
- 12 whole cloves
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 orange peel peeled into strips
- 1 lemon peel peeled into strips
- 2 cups ruby port read more about port here (473.2 ml)
- 2 cups brandy (473.2 ml)
Instructions
- In a saucepan (nonaluminum and large) bring the wine, sugar, spices, orange and lemon peel to a simmer, stirring frequently.1500 ml red wine, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 12 whole cloves, 4 cinnamon sticks, 1 orange peel, 1 lemon peel
- Simmer for 10 minutes. You should see very small bubbles, it should not be a roaring boil as this will reduce the alcohol content.
- Stir in the brandy and the port, just long enough for them to heat through, about 1 minute.2 cups ruby port, 2 cups brandy
- Remove from the heat and enjoy immediately. If this is for a party, I recommend transfering it to a crockpot and keeping it on the warm setting.
Marilyn says
I lived in Germany for 7 years as I was posted there with the Canadian military. Every Christmas season Gluhwein (Mulled) was served EVERYWHERE!
And believe it or not you want the cheapest red wine possible. For some reason a good bottle of red tastes terrible in the recipe!
That’s really interesting!
Anthony says
A big thank you lisa, your simply the best. Anthony
Thank you, Anthony!