How to Make Mulled Wine

Mulled wine, in the modern mind, is a delicacy of the holiday season. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the beverage is served at Christmas markets and to guests in the home. While it can be purchased ready-to-serve in some locales, the best you will ever taste is what you will make on your own stove or sample from newly prepared steaming pot in a friend’s kitchen.

The Base

Although it is not set in stone, red wine is typically the base for mulled wine. White wine can be substituted if desired. A grape-based wine is not even necessary, as either mead—a fermented beverage made from honey, sometimes called honey wine—or unfermented juice are used as well. Sugar or honey is typically added to this base as a contrast to the wine’s flavor.

The Additions

Mulled wine almost always calls for spices, typically those called warming spices. This group includes such spices as cloves, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg. While this recipe gives specific spices, others can be substituted to your tastes. These spices do not conform to the American notion of spicy meaning burning hot, but spicy meaning an assertive flavor. They lend a particular and delicious taste to the brew. Even those spices which have a bite to them, such as black pepper, are sometimes considered mulling spices.

Although not spices, vanilla and citrus are very commonly thrown into the pot. In the recipe below, perhaps rather than having to strain the zest and spices, you may want to slice the orange and stud it with the cloves. Mulled wine is very much an expression of your creative side, so jumping in is nearly as fun as sampling the result.

The Process

• 1 750 milliliter bottle of red wine
• two-thirds to one cup of sugar, depending on your preference
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 cloves
• 1 orange, zested
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• two ounces of brandy or a liqueur of your choice

1. Pour the wine into a large, non-reactive pot and place it over low to medium heat. Add the sugar, stirring until it has dissolved.
2. Add the spices, the vanilla seeds, the vanilla pod halves, the orange zest, and the brandy.
3. Bring the wine to a simmer, but do not allow it to boil. Stir the pot occasionally for twenty to thirty minutes.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and pass through a fine strainer or cheesecloth, to catch the spices, pod, and zest. Serve warm.

The aroma of mulled wine is one essence of Christmas and the winter months. The warmth of the spices and vanilla cut through the cold, warming you just like the heat of the wine. So next autumn, when the leaves have fallen and winter is winning the battle of the seasons, bring out your pot and raid your spice rack. You have nothing but memories to look forward to.

Tagged as: Christmas Wine, How to Make Mulled Wine, Make Mulled Wine, Mulled Wine, Mulling a Wine