Mulled wine, the wine drinker's version of a classic hot toddy, is a traditional holiday treat in many Old World countries. Dubbed "glögg" in Nordic nations and "glühwein" in Germany, mulled wine has been warming people up since Roman times when people heated up their wine to offset harsh winter weather. Typically made with red wine, this sweetened, spiced, and heated mixture offers a delightful alternative to traditional hot coffees and ciders. Brandy adds a little extra sweetness.
Although heating up the wine will evaporate some of the alcohol content, this is still an alcoholic drink, enhanced also by the addition of brandy. It's ideal for cold winter days or nights, or holiday gatherings—there is nothing cozier than a toasty mug of mulled wine. Lightly sweet, spiced, and fruity, it will warm you from the top of your head to the tip of your toes.
To make the perfect cup of mulled wine, combine all of the ingredients in either a large pot or a slow cooker.
Gently warm the ingredients on low to medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes. Avoid boiling or simmering.
Stir occasionally to make sure that the honey or sugar has dissolved completely. When the wine is steaming and the ingredients have been infused, it is ready to serve.
Ladle the mulled wine into mugs. Leave the whole seasonings behind, or strain the mulled wine before serving. Garnish each mug with a slice of orange and a stick of cinnamon. Enjoy!
A fruit-forward wine is best for this recipe. Wines with very nuanced flavors will be lost to the spices, brandy, and fruit. Try a dark, fruity red wine such as a cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo, grenache, zinfandel, or merlot. Choose a bottle of wine that you'd drink as-is: the quality of the mulled wine depends on the quality of the wine. A moderately-priced, good quality wine will do just fine, but avoid cheap or boxed wines as they'll yield a low-quality spiced wine.
How to Store and Freeze Mulled Wine
You can mull the wine 2 to 3 days ahead of when you would like to consume it. Let it cool completely, transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate. When you are ready, reheat it on the stovetop over low heat.
You can also freeze mulled wine. Try freezing it in ice cube trays, or in a separate container. Its flavor may slightly alter during the freezing and thawing process. You can reheat it and drink it hot, or turn it into a wine slushie.
Making Large Batches of Mulled Wine
To double the recipe, use two bottles of wine (or one magnum) and double the remaining ingredients. However, start with half the amount of honey or sugar, taste halfway through the cooking process, and adjust if needed. The honey can make a very sweet beverage, and when cooking the wine, the flavor can get too intense.
Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker or leave in a pot on the lowest possible setting to keep warm without overcooking. If the mixture spends too much time on the heat, the flavor can become too intense since some of the water evaporates off.
Toss in a few whole, fresh cranberries at the end for a festive look.
How Strong is a Mug of Mulled Wine?
Mulled wine without brandy has an average ABV of eight to 13 percent (26 proof) per mug, like a normal glass of wine (in a 5-ounce serving). But when spiced with Brandy at 60 percent ABV (120 proof) the alcohol content can increase to 16 to 18 percent (32 to 36 proof) per mug. Consider that there's going to be some evaporation, but not enough to considerably diminish the percentage of alcohol.
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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
195
Calories
0g
Fat
23g
Carbs
0g
Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4to 6
Amount per serving
Calories
195
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g
0%
Saturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 7mg
0%
Total Carbohydrate 23g
8%
Dietary Fiber 1g
4%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 14mg
70%
Calcium 30mg
2%
Iron 1mg
5%
Potassium 220mg
5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
The best wines for mulled wine are richly fruity, medium-bodied ones with little oak aging, because these stand up to the bold sweetness and spice of the hot drink without tasting too tannic. For example, try a Chilean Merlot, a Zinfandel from California or a Grenache from Spain.
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.
Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commandaria wine, and the aromatised wine vermouth.
Use cheap wine. Don't break out a special bottle for this. Cooking the wine will change it: Some of the alcohol blows off (hence the need for added brandy), the wine may taste more acidic (hence the need for added sugar) and any of its delicate, nuanced aromas will become largely undetectable.
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.
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.
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.
A neutral grape-based spirit, often an unoaked brandy, is added to a red-wine fermentation in order to arrest the fermentation prior to completion . . . in other words, making sure fermentation will stall out. This leaves some residual sugar in the final product to balance out the intensity from the alcohol.
Today, it is one of the most popular party drinks with more variations than you can drink in a lifetime. This recipe is for a basic sangria, made with two bottles of red wine, a little brandy and orange liqueur, a few fruits, and club soda. It's easy and delicious, which is why it's perfect for a gathering.
At its core, fortified wine is about enhancement and preservation. By adding a distilled spirit, usually grape brandy, winemakers not only increase the alcohol content but also introduce a new dimension of flavor. This process, dating back centuries, was initially a way to stabilize wine for long voyages.
Not all recipes call for it, but often you will need it to balance out bitterness and/or alcohol. My expert advice: do not add any sugar or honey until the very, very end. You want to add it to taste because depending on the random wine you're using and the spirit, you may not need much of it, if any.
Be careful not to over heat or boil the mixture. Since alcohol evaporates at 172 degrees which is much lower than water you would be left with a non-alcoholic version of mulled wine and that defeats the purpose.
Gently melt some chocolate together with orange, mulled wine spices, a touch of sugar and some cocoa powder. Add your Christkindl mulled wine along with a splash of Cointreau and you're in for a boozy treat.
I recommend looking for a bottle of Zinfandel, Merlot, Grenache,Brandy: Similar to sangria, it's also traditional to spike your mulled wine with an extra bit of liqueur. Brandy is the traditional choice, but Cointreau (or another orange liqueur) or tawny port are also delicious alternatives.
Generally speaking, you won't go wrong using a relatively dry, but fruity (or “fruit-forward”) wine for mulling. And, if the recipe you choose calls for a dose of brandy or other liquor, you'll probably want to choose a wine that's low in alcohol (unless, of course, you have a specific goal in mind).
It's not unheard of to serve mulled wine in glasses, as long as they meet a few requirements. You'll want to look for goblets rather than standard wine glasses, as they tend to have thicker glass to better protect your hands and a sturdy stem. Often they'll also be decorated which makes them a nice, decorative touch.
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