This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.
This delicious mulled wine recipe will be the hit of your Christmas party! The aromatic spices and warming notes are what festive dreams are made of!
We have more beverages, both hot and cold, in our Christmas Drinks collection!
The countdown is officially on! My family has begun to count down the days before the holidays officially start. This mulled wine is one more sign that the merry making has begun!
I’ve been meaning to post this drink for a while but developing a great recipe has been a bit of a challenge. I don’t like sickly sweet things and I am very picky about aromatic spices – some of them I absolutely adore, others not so much.
For example, I’m still not a believer that cloves bring anything good to the party. So I knew that creating my own mix was the only solution.
Mulled wine recipe
The base for this recipe is a traditional combination of spices. The recipe has been adapted to create a new balance of spices and less sugar. The result was a delicious and aromatic but not an overwhelmingly sweet holiday sipper, which we loved!
The method for making this mulled wine is similar to many other recipes. Start by creating a base of flavour with spices, then add other ingredients to bring the whole thing into balance.
The concentrated taste of the spices are drawn out and melded together into a syrup using a small amount of the red wine. This syrup then infuses the rest of the wine with aromatic flavours to make the festive treat we all love.
The general rule about making anything with wine is that you should never cook with a wine you wouldn’t want to drink. Since this recipe is for a drink, that rule doubly applies!
However, you are adding spices to this wine, so no point using anything too expensive. Any subtle flavours are going to be covered, so you are safe purchasing a wine that won’t damage your holiday budget!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- If you want to avoid buying a large variety of spices, look for mulled wine sachets in the spice aisle of many grocery stores.
- Do not place hot drinks in thin glassware. The sudden change of temperature may cause them to crack or shatter. A normal mug or tea cup can be the safest option.
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick or orange peel.
- Mulled wine doesn’t need to be enjoyed with food, but does pair well with strong or salty cheese such as Stilton or Comté. Our Herby Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Prosciutto are perfect to be enjoyed alongside the mulled wine. Or choose a sweet treat such as mince pies or Maple Butter Tarts.
More Christmas drinks recipes
Festive Mulled Wine Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 clementines
- 1 lemon
- 1 lime
- 1/2cup / 100g sugar
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 This is an affiliate link.whole nutmeg
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 This is an affiliate link.star anise
- 2 bottles of good red wine
Instructions
- In a medium pot combine sugar, clementine, lemon and lime peel and the juice of both clementines. Add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and 10 gratings of a whole nutmeg.
- Split the vanilla bean with a sharp knife lengthwise and scrape the seeds out, add both the seeds and the bean to the pot together with 250ml/1 cup of wine.
- Bring the wine and spices to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes on low until your wine, sugar and spices turned into a syrup.
- Add the rest of the wine, allow it to come to a desired temperature and keep it warm for serving.
- Serve warm in thick glasses or china tea cups. (Thin and delicate glassware might crack from hot mulled wine).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love mulled wine and I could drink a gallon of it! Home-made is definitely best and I usually use the same method as you – infusing the spices first so as not to cook off the alcohol 😛 I really love the shot with the smoking cinnamon sticks, it’s beautiful x
Thank you, Hannah! I can’t wait to make another batch closer to Christmas, I am glad it’s a once a year type of a treat or I’d be in trouble! 🙂
What a lovely drink for the holidays, and so pretty too!
Thank you Laura!! 🙂
Mulled wine sends you straight to heaven! How delicious, I look forward to Christmas just for that! I will be making in it soon too! Fab photography!
Thank you so much, Alida! I am looking forward to making another batch soon. 🙂
Love this, Julia and your photos are beautiful (love the steaming one!)
Thank you, Jennifer!! I hope your Christmas season’s been lovely!
Mulled wine is one of my favourite drinks, but I only like it homemade. The ones they offer in pubs usually have all the alcohol cooked out of them and you can tell they’re so old 🙁
I love that you’ve specified good red wine – if the stuff you use is rubbish – it’s never going to taste amazing! x
I completely agree, Angela, the reason this recipe is made in two steps is to avoid overheating the wine and boil out all the alcohol! I saw a mulled wine recipe made in a slow cooker with apple juice added, I can’t imagine that method producing anything close to the original.
I love mulled wine if it is made well, like you I hate it if it is too sweet! I do love all the spices you have used so I’ll be sure to give this a try. x
Thanks, Louise! I hope your festive season is in full gear, which can’t be done properly without a glass of good mulled wine! 🙂
I love mulled wine – the best one I had was at my friend Ulla’s house but I believe that was a German uber strong recipe which container a very healthy amount of rum in it too (which reminds me I need to ask her for it). The Christmas countdown has began here too – but my brain is in full ‘don’t want to do anything but eat and drink’ mode
Me too and I am totally doing it-eating and drinking! Do ask your friend, we need that recipe in our life!! 😉
Hi Lucy, if you were able to find out that mulled wine recipe with rum I’d love to know, too!