For the longest time I never knew what mulled wine was. And as someone who rarely drinks red wine, I just immediately rejected any suggestion of mulled wine, whenever it came up. Until one winter evening when my husband asked if I knew how to make mulled wine. He had recently been out with friends and they were all drinking this mulled wine and he thought it would be nice to drink it again and for me to try it. He described it as flavourful, warm and delicious. After a few google searches and many a kitchen experiment, I have come to really enjoy mulled wine and I have created my own little version.
This is a fun winter warming drink with a little kick!
Ingredients
- orange slices - the orange flavour from the orange liqueur is more pronounced with the addition of orange slices, and it smells amazing too!
- cinnamon sticks - I'm not sure it would be mulled wine without cinnamon sticks. The cinnamon adds warmth and fragrance.
- cloves - a depth of flavour from these spicy little cloves adds a lovely note.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: combine all ingredients into a medium pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
Step 2: Allow to cool slightly before serving. Garnish with extra orange slices and cinnamon sticks.
Substitutions
A mulled wine can really be any combination of flavours you prefer, here are a couple of substitutions for this recipe;
- Whisky - replace orange liqueur with whisky instead, still good, a little stronger in flavour too.
- Lemons - replace the oranges with lemons if that's all you have or you prefer.
Variations
- Spicy - add a red chilli to the pot to really ramp up the spicy heat in the mulled wine. Taste test regularly for the right amount of heat.
- Berry - add raspberries or cranberries to give the mulled wine a sweet berry flavour instead of citrus. Also, omit the orange liqueur and replace with crème de cassis.
Storage
I seldom need to store mulled wine, as we do a great job consuming it once made! But, if you have a little leftover, remove all the aromatics and store in a jar or jug in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. When ready to consume, gently bring up to a simmer in a pot on the stove.
Top Tip
The aromatics from this recipe make an amazing hostess gift when neatly packaged and labelled in a jar.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favourite dishes to serve with mulled wine:
Mulled Wine
Ingredients
- 1 bottle red wine
- 2 tablespoon orange liqueur
- 4 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 orange, sliced
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- Put the all the ingredients in a medium sized pot. On low heat, bring the pot to a gentle simmer.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving. Garnish with extra orange slices and cinnamon sticks. Enjoy!
Let me know if you have tried this recipe