Mulled Wine

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Mulled Wine, a luscious, comforting, warm drink made from sweetened red wine, infused with spices and fruit. To our family, this drink is synonymous with snow, skiing, sunshine, Christmas (in fact the whole winter!) and, fingers crossed this year, the Swiss Alps. No party is complete without bucket loads of this warm, addictive spicy treat simmering away, ensuring all the guests (and me!) are happy and the house smells deliciously of Christmas! 

I know you are not supposed to drink alcohol and ski, but, hot chocolate notwithstanding, I challenge anyone to find a better drink, piste side on a snowy mountain. It warms you up from the inside out and I swear, I ski much better afterwards!

Mulled Wine, Glühwein, Vin Chaud or Glögg?

We spend our time in the French speaking part of Switzerland where it is known as Vin Chaud, in German it is called Glühwein and in Swedish, Glögg. Although there are an inestimable number of recipes, varying from family to family and place to place, there is no real discernible difference between the principal ingredients and flavours of these delightful drinks – sweetened red wine with fruit and spices. The spices vary but this recipe is our favourite combination; of course, you can increase, decrease or add ingredients to suit your own palate.

Make it punchy!

You can even add a shot of cognac, brandy, rum or an eau de vie (fruit brandy) such as Poire Williams. David Lebovitz suggests a ginger eau de vie, which I haven’t tried, but, note to self, I really must because it sounds incredible. In Switzerland, they often serve Vin Chaud with Vieille Prune, a plum eau de vie – it can be very punchy! Definitely for après, rather than mid ski!

Cheer someone up this Christmas – these bags of Mulled Wine spice, make a fabulous gift

If gifting these, you have a number of options:

1. The first option: is to include everything you need to make Mulled Wine:
   • a bottle of red wine,
   • a spice bag,
   • a little bag of sugar, and
   • the instructions of how to make it. The instructions are included in the recipe at the bottom of this post. Simply click on the ‘print icon’ under the small photograph to the right of the recipe title. Not only does it share the recipe for the Spice Bags, in case they want to make some for themselves, it also explains how to make the Mulled wine using the Spice bags.
2. The second option: is to include just the spice bag, plus a little bag of sugar – don’t forget to include the instructions as well. I like to present these in a little seasonal gift bag – see below.
3. The third option: is just to include the spice bag and the instructions.

Top Tip:

Make a big batch – the spice mix will last the whole of the winter and they make wonderful gifts, either on their own or with a bottle of wine.

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What is the best wine to use?

Mulled wine is typically made with a fruity red. Inexpensive wine is perfect for this recipe; heating the wine dulls the taste, plus you are introducing a whole new range of flavours which will dominate any nuances in the wine.

Can I make this alcohol free?

You can either make it with:

• alcohol free wine like the one below. In which case, make it in exactly the same way, OR
• grape juice or cranberry juice. If this is your preferred choice, do not add any extra water or sugar and infuse the spices directly in the juice, on a very low simmer for around 10 – 20 mins. Taste and add some sugar or honey to sweeten, if necessary.

How can I infuse the wine, without overheating it?

Overheating will spoil the wine, dull the flavours and cook out the alcohol. To avoid this, dissolve the sugar (or you can use honey) in some water and add the spice sachet. Simmer very gently for 20 minutes so the sugar syrup is fully flavoured. You then add the wine, warm through and it is ready to serve.

What is the best way to keep the Mulled Wine warm?

If you are making this for a party and want to keep it warm for a long period of time, without spoiling the flavour and cooking off the alcohol, keep it in a slow cooker. Infuse the spices in the sugar syrup on the hob, add the wine, heat through and then transfer to the slow cooker.

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Spicy Hot Cider

You can also use these spice mixes to make Spicy Hot Cider – a slightly lighter, fruitier drink which also packs a wonderful, warming flavour punch

How to make Mulled Wine

Whilst this fabulous spice mix takes a while to prepare, most of it is hands-off time, as the oranges and lemons dry in the oven. Hands-on time is far less and involves just a little chopping, blitzing in the food processor and wrapping into muslin bags.

Collect all your ingredients together:

For the spice mix. (This is enough for 2 bottles of wine.)

• 1 medium sized orange
• ½ medium lemon
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon whole cloves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice berries
• 15g chopped crystallised ginger

To make the mulled wine you will need –

• 60g caster sugar, or you can use honey or maple syrup
• 300ml water
• 1 sachet of spice mix
• 1 bottle of red wine

Serving suggestions –

• slices of fresh orange and/or lemon
• cinnamon stick
• star anise
• raisins
• almonds

How to make the Spice Bags and the Mulled Wine

First, make the Spice Bags:

1. Start by drying the orange and lemon slices – cut the orange and lemon into slices, roughly ¾ cm thick.
2. Lay on racks on baking trays and cook in a very cool oven for a few hours until dried through. The length of time it takes will depend on how thick you cut the slices – it can take up to 6 hours. Turn the slices over a couple of times whilst they cook.
3. Lay the cinnamon, allspice and cloves on a chopping board and cover with cling film. Bash with a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin to break up the spices.
4. Carefully remove the cling film, removing any spices that have stuck to it.
5. Transfer to a food processor and blitz until they are finely chopped.
6. Roughly chop the dried orange and lemon slices and add to the processor. Blitz again until finely chopped. Tip out of the processor into a mixing bowl.
7. Finely chop the ginger and mix with the remaining spices and fruit. You can do this in the food processor but, pulse very carefully, or it will become thick and sticky.
8. Transfer half of this mix, roughly 30g, into the centre of a muslin square big enough to encase the spice mix and tie tightly with string.
9. Your spice is now ready to use. If you are not using this immediately, I add a layer of cellophane and tie this tightly around the muslin. This helps keep the spices fresh but it is important to remove the cellophane before making the mulled wine.

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How to make the Mulled Wine:

1. Heat the water and sugar together, over a moderate heat, until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Add the spice bag, cover with a lid, and simmer for 20 minutes on a very low heat – this can be done ahead of time.
3. Add the wine – bring to a very gentle simmer over a moderate to low heat. Do not boil. If you want to keep it warm for a prolonged period of time, transfer it now to a slow cooker set on a low heat.
4. Serve in heat proof glasses with your choice of serving options. If you want to add any extra punch eg brandy or eau de vie, pour this directly into the serving glass with the hot wine.

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.