Spiced Mulled Wine – a winter favorite! Warm spices with a hint of orange make for a great holiday drink.
Do you have a favorite drink when the weather gets cold? A Kahlua Hot Chocolate is a great warm and cozy drink I like to help warm up on a chilly night! Normally I am a wine drinker when it comes to co*cktail time, so a mulled wine recipe is exactly what I want for a winter party.
A friend first turned me onto mulled wine probably 15 years ago. The warm spices with the bold red wine is such a warm and comforting combination. Completely different than a Red Wine Spritzer that is a cool and refreshing way to enjoy wine.
What is Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is a drink that is normally made with red wine. It is infused with spices and served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink that is usually served around Christmas time and in the cold winter months. It is great to warm in the crock pot. The spices infuse the wine, and it sits there hot and waiting for you!
How to Make Mulled Wine
You want to make sure that your spices aren’t just floating in your mulled wine, or it won’t be pleasant to drink. A cheese cloth works best to make sure this doesn’t happen. You put all the spices in the cloth, and then tie it up and let it sit in the wine. It helps infuse the flavor and you don’t bite down on a peppercorn. This mulled wine recipe uses citrus as well. You dry the oranges out in the oven, and they help give the wine a great citrus scent.
Best Wine for Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is best if you use a full bodied red wine. Something like a Syrah, Malbec or a Merlot. You do not want a light and fruity wine for this. You do not need to buy an expensive bottle, just a wine that you like the flavor of.
The dried oranges are an extra step, but they make it extra special. It will be great for any get together you have in the winter.
I created a fun group onFacebook, and I would love for you to join us!It’s a place where you can share YOUR favorite recipes, ask questions, and see what’s new at Dinners, and Desserts (so that you never miss a new recipe)! If you’d like to check it out, you can request to joinHERE.
2 bottles, (750 ml) zinfandel or other dry red wine
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Arrange orange slices on a wire rack. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 3 hours, or until dried.
On a double layer of cheesecloth combine peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods, allspice, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean. Gather up the ends of the cheesecloth, and tie shut.
In a large pan combine orange slices, the spice packet, sugar, orange juice and win. Heat over medium heat to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.
Please leave a comment on the blog or share a picture on social media!
Author
Recent Posts
Follow me
Erin S
Welcome to Dinners, Dishes, & Desserts where my love of food meets my busy life. My name is Erin and I’m a casual home cook who loves to feed people. On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of quick and easy recipes made mostly from scratch. My days are spent in the kitchen, creating new recipes to share with family and friends.
Indeed, mulled wine, or spiced wine, is served and enjoyed while hot, making it a perfect drink for the holidays. Often credited to the ancient Greeks, mulled wine has been enjoyed for over 2,000 years. With the rise and expansion of the Roman Empire across Europe, so too did the consumption of mulled wine.
The best wine for mulled wine is dry and full-bodied, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Zinfandel, or Syrah. These will stand up to the other flavors and ensure the spiced wine won't be too sweet. Use Whole Spices. I don't recommend ground spices, as they will float on top of the wine and not incorporate properly.
Ainsley Harriott recommends mulling wines in a slow cooker and says two hours at low temperature gives excellent results and should retain most alcohol content.
Does the alcohol cook out when making mulled wine? In short, yes, some of the alcohol burns off when boiling mulled wine, but you should only be gently bringing up to the boil and simmering for around 15-30 minutes which isn't enough time to completely remove all alcohol traces.
Merlot is an ideal choice of wine for making mulled wine. Its bold, juicy fruit flavor has notes of red cherry, plum, and cranberry. Plus, this particular selection is made with fruits from California's central coast at an affordable price.
Wine: No need to splurge on a pricey bottle — a mid-range bottle of dry red or white wine will do. (Or if you're making a big batch, this is a great recipe to break out a nicer boxed wine too!)
Method. Put the red wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, lemon zest and sugar in a large pan. Cook on a low heat for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and cool, leaving to infuse for about 30 mins.
This drink is consumed enormously in Scandinavian countries, particularly in Sweden and Denmark, where it is called Glögg and Gløgg respectively (terms meaning "mulled wine" in each language). In Germany, as in most Germanic countries, it is mainly consumed under the name Glühwein.
It's the festive tipple that gets the nation feeling merry at Christmas, but you might sober right up if you had to pay £60 for a glass. That's the price of a new mulled wine on sale at Searcys bar in St Pancras station in London.
You need to infuse the wine long enough with the spices to take on their flavour but DON'T ON ANY ACCOUNT LET THE MIXTURE BOIL as you'll be left with a bitter taste. Slow and low is the way to go. And it shouldn't be served piping hot, just comfortably - and comfortingly - warm.
Zinfandels, Merlots, Syrah/Shiraz, or Garnache tend to work best. Avoid red wines high in tannins or have an oaky flavor, and avoid light reds. Sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to have a full-bodied, fruity flavor, can work in a pinch, as can Malbec, which tends to have a bold, spicy flavor.
Be careful not to overcook as the wine will reduce. Remove pan from heat. Cover and steep until well-flavored. We recommend letting it steep 5 to 10 minutes.
The key to successfully heating up mulled wine is to take it up to a nice warm temperature without boiling it. Wine has a lower boiling point than water, and overheating it will cook off some of the alcohol, resulting in an unpleasant bitter flavour.
Just follow the directions for your favorite recipe and let the wine simmer with spices until it's deeply infused. Then let the mulled wine cool at room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the fridge — it will keep well there for up to three days.
Cinnamon is probably the most popular spice but you could also use cloves, cardamom (lightly crush a few pods) ginger and nutmeg. Some recommend star anise but use sparingly if you don't want your mulled wine to taste of aniseed.
An aromatic blend of warm spices, including cinnamon stick, allspice, whole cloves and orange zest, mulling spices should be placed in a large tea infuser or in a small piece of cheesecloth. In a saucepan, gently simmer 1 quart red wine, 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (to taste) and 2 Tbs. mulling spices for up to 20 minutes.
Mulled Wine Ingredients. Keep in mind that these ingredients are very easily multiplied. One bottle of wine will yield five drinks (enough for two to four people), two bottles yield 10 drinks, and so on.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
