More warming festive drinks
A Traditional Mulled Wine Recipe For All Your Holiday Traditions
It’s the perfect drink for holiday parties and last minute get-togethers alike. A heavenly medley of wine and spices with a hint of fruit, steeped over the stove until bursting with flavor—mulled wine is our favorite way to warm these cold winter nights. For more fun cocktail recipes for entertaining we love our Espresso Martini and Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz. Mulled wine kits, along with our Chai Tea Concentrate & Irish Cream Liqueur are all great gifts for giving.
Mulled Wine Ingredients
Two large oranges
One bottle red wine, see our note below
3 whole cinnamon sticks
5 whole star anise
10 whole cloves
Brown sugar
How To Make Mulled Wine
Using a citrus juicer, juice two oranges into a medium size pot.
Add the wine, cinnamon, anise, cloves and sugar to the pot, stir to combine and set over medium heat, until just beginning to steam.
Reduce the heat to low and continue to warm for 30 minutes or until the wine is infused with the spices.
If you’d like you can strain before serving, or serve with all the goodies.
How to Store Mulled Wine + Tips
Use whole spices—not ground. Not only do whole spices look pretty in the pot, they allow the flavors of the clove, cinnamon and anise to infuse the wine with their warmth without changing the consistency of the mulled wine, as ground spices might.
Make sure your spices are fresh. Whole spices, like those called for in our recipe, last longer than ground. Whole spices are usually good for 3-4 years after purchase. If you think yours might be older than that, toss them.
The longer you let this simmer, the more spiced your mulled wine will become. This is a good thing—until it’s not. Don’t let this simmer to death—once you’ve hit 30 minutes, cover the mulled wine to keep it warm, but turn the heat off.
Best wines for mulled wine: Zinfandel fruity and jammy Cabernet Sauvignon is a big, juicy, high alcohol wine, and Syrah is silky and rich with dark fruit-and-spice notes (our favorite).
Mulled wine can be refrigerated for 3-5 days. You can reheat in a small pot on the stove, or in a crock pot.
More Party Drinks From The Modern Proper
Hot Mulled Wine + More
For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper. Happy cooking!