Mulled wine at home - step-by-step recipe with photos

Useful properties of mulled wine

In preparation for the New Year, you can make a mulled wine drink at home. The New Year's elixir will be good because, without leading to severe intoxication, it will envelop the body in cozy warmth and comfort.

It's nice to gather with the whole family by the fireplace and relax over a warm conversation with family or friends.

What is mulled wine?

Mulled wine is a drink made from wine with the addition of sugar or honey, fruits and spices. There are recipes where the base of the drink is not wine, but ale or beer, and additional additives in the form of cognac, rum, liqueur. In a word, there are a great many recipes.

If alcoholic mulled wine is being prepared, then alcoholic additives should not turn it into diluted cognac, liqueur or rum. They only add spectacular reflections to the overall palette of taste.

For children, you can prepare a non-alcoholic drink based on juices, without adding water. The effect is that the elixir should be drunk hot.

If we list the beneficial properties of a fruit cocktail, we should name microelements, vitamins, organic acids that fruits contain, and spices. Vitamin mulled wine is usually not brought to a boil, so it retains most of the beneficial elements. The benefit of the drink is that it relaxes, soothes, and helps to recover from colds.

If we talk about the calorie content of this product, the energy value depends on the ingredients. On average, 100 ml of drink contains 90–96 kcal.

What are the benefits of mulled wine?

To make you want to make this cocktail at home, it’s worth listing even more of its beneficial properties:

Has a bactericidal effect;
Increases immunity;
Relieves tension after psychological and physical stress;
Makes blood move faster, carrying oxygen throughout the cells;
For low blood pressure, insomnia, vitamin deficiency, it will have a therapeutic effect;
It will help remove “bad” cholesterol, and the stomach will better digest food;
Improves the condition of blood vessels, making them elastic;
Helps improve kidney function;
Useful for recovery from colds and viral diseases, acting like aspirin;
Improves mood, helping to relieve attacks of melancholy, apathy, and despondency. Moderate consumption of the drink will have invaluable benefits in stabilizing mood.
If you make a drink from red wine, it will contain a large proportion of resveratrol, a substance that prevents the development of Alzheimer's.

Women who want to “cheat time” can prepare themselves a rejuvenating drink not only for celebrating the New Year. Wiping your skin daily, followed by leaving liquid on it for 10 minutes, will turn back time.

These antioxidants and flavonoids contained in the elixir slow down the aging process, making the skin elastic and smooth.

Who shouldn't drink mulled wine?

Pregnant women should definitely not drink it. Ethyl alcohol quickly enters the fetus, destroying the brain cells of the unborn child.

The elixir is useful for male ailments as an additional treatment prescribed by a doctor. But you should not drink the drink if you are planning to conceive a baby.

The exact connection between the drunkenness of expectant mothers and fathers and sick offspring has been determined. If you really want to have fun with everyone at the holiday, then you can drink a glass of drink without alcohol.

Nursing mothers should not drink even such a low-alcohol drink as mulled wine. Wine of any strength is dangerous for a small child, interfering with his mental and physical development.

Mulled wine contains spices that affect the taste of milk, causing babies to wean early. For children and nursing mothers, you can prepare “baby” mulled wine, which is made with grape juice without a lot of seasonings.

If the drink does not contain caustic spices, even a pregnant woman can drink it.

Despite the benefits of the drink, it has contraindications. Among them are gastrointestinal diseases in the acute stage, especially ulcers and gastritis. Ethyl alcohol irritates the gastric mucosa, causing an exacerbation. People with diabetes and obesity should also be careful when drinking this cocktail.

How to properly prepare mulled wine

To properly prepare a warming drink, you need to choose quality wine. Often, inexpensive wine of excellent quality becomes the key to a delicious drink. Sometimes still water is added to it.

If you use dry wine, you will have to add sugar or honey at the end of cooking. It is necessary to add spices, but they should not interrupt the taste of the other ingredients.

Mulled wine must be prepared each time using a different wine with different additives in order to taste the entire palette of flavors of this drink.

The main secret of taste is properly selected spices. Some of them taste the same. Cardamom has a slight citrus-like flavor, and ginger has a slightly pepper-like flavor.

Cooking time and temperature are of great importance. The cocktail should not be heated too much or brought to a boil. The maximum heating temperature is not higher than 70 degrees.

Christmas hot drink recipe with orange

Well, it’s worth mentioning another alcoholic recipe, in which only orange and lemon are used as fruits. This is the so-called Christmas version with a citrus aroma.

Please note that the cooking process is different from previous recipes. It is important!

Ingredients:

1 bottle of dry red wine (750 ml)
2 sweet oranges
1/2 lemon
3-4 tbsp honey
2 cinnamon sticks
3 boxes of cardamom
6 cloves
2 star anise

Preparation:

1. Take one orange, squeeze the juice out of it and pour it into a container in which the mulled wine will be heated. In this case, it is a heat-resistant glass form.

Pour a bottle of wine there and place the mold on medium heat and wait until the mixture heats up. Stir.

2. When the mixture heats up and begins to steam slightly, add chopped lemon cubes, the remaining orange and honey.

3. Next we send the spices. Some spices may not be on hand and you decide to make without them. This is, of course, possible, but try to ensure that the cloves and cinnamon still get into the mulled wine. These are some of the most important spices for this drink.

4. Well, then according to the proven scheme: we bring the temperature of the mixture to 70 degrees, guided by a food thermometer or the beginning of the formation of bubbles, and remove the container from the heat.

Cover the finished mulled wine with a lid for 10 minutes and then pour into glasses. In this case, there is no need to strain the drink and you can pour it with a ladle, picking up pieces of fruit so that they also end up in the glass.

How to choose wine for mulled wine

The basis of the cocktail is wine. You can cook with expensive wine, but you can choose a good inexpensive wine.

The traditional ingredient is dry wine without foreign odors, dyes, flavorings, preservatives, or other “improving” additives. It is refreshing and gentle on the stomach. It can be prepared without sugar or, for example. At the end of simmering, add honey.

It can be prepared from semi-dry wine, which also does not have chemical additives. It differs from dry in the increased amount of sugar (3-12 g per 100 ml). But this small amount of sugar makes it possible to add honey.
Semi-sweet, cheap wines may not give the expected effect. Winemakers introduce additives, flavorings, food pigment into them, and increase the strength. They contain ethyl alcohol (18–22 degrees). The result is a final product in which the mixture of fillers, when heated, can behave so unexpectedly that it changes the taste of the elixir.
Experts advise taking young dry or semi-dry wine, with a strength of at least 7, but not more than 13 degrees.
You can make delicious mulled wine from white or red wine. However, the classic recipe is based on red wine.
White wines are heated to 50 degrees, otherwise the taste will deteriorate, but red wines can withstand heating up to 90 degrees.
The best base for a cocktail would be Cabernet, Vranac, Dolcetto, Gamza, and other wines. From semi-sweet wines – Khvanchkaru, Kagor, Kindzamara.
Sangria is included in complex recipes, resulting in a wonderful product.

Mulled wine in white

You can make delicious mulled wine not only from red wines. If you prefer dry white wine, it is quite suitable for this cocktail. Place a cinnamon stick in a saucepan, sprinkle it with brown sugar (50 g), nutmeg (1/4 tsp), allspice black pepper (1/4 tsp). We also place orange slices here and pour in 500 ml of white wine. This mixture should be simmered over moderate heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Next, cook the mulled wine for another 5-6 minutes, after which we filter it and pour it into glasses. Before serving, decorate them with dried fruits.

Necessary seasonings

A hot cocktail is a symbol of the holiday, snowy winter, and New Year. Spicy taste with tart notes, plus warming properties - the perfect way to spend the best winter evening.

List of spices

To prepare a delicious drink, you need to choose spices that add a unique taste and aroma.

Cinnamon is the main ingredient. You need to take sticks, not powder. The powder generally does not have as rich a flavor as the sticks.
Cloves not only add flavor, but also impart beneficial properties to mulled wine. It is added at the end. The hotter the liquid, the stronger the clove aroma. As a rule, this spice is suitable for white and red wines.
Ginger is one of the most piquant additions. If other spices do not interrupt its taste, the drink will be slightly hot and aromatic.
Pepper or a mixture of peppers. Warms the body, accelerates the blood. Black acts as an antiseptic, and red accelerates the blood. More suitable for white wine.
Star anise - fragrant stars not only decorate the drink, but also relieve colds and lingering coughs.
Anise is a seasoning with a delicate sweet taste. Improves appetite, helps relieve fever and headache. They are usually added at the end of cooking.
Barberry – adds a piquant sourness.
Bay leaf – adds an unexpected note to the aroma. The leaves are added at the end, but immediately removed.
Coriander – contains magnesium, calcium, iron, necessary for the body.
Cardamom - endowed with a citrus taste, it helps get rid of coughs and stimulates brain function. Goes well with ginger and star anise.
Nutmeg – enhances the effect of other seasonings, helps reduce blood pressure, warms, and soothes. It is added at the beginning of cooking in the form of a powder, or preferably small pieces. The nutmeg in the wine gives off a slight, pleasant pungency.
Saffron - adds an oriental note to the cocktail. It is added in small quantities.
Mint - calms the nerves and makes the drink somewhat exotic.

Important! It is necessary to add not all the ingredients, but only 5-6 spices, otherwise all the tastes and aromas will not manifest themselves.

What else besides spices

In addition to spices, sugar, honey, citrus fruits, apples, pears, and dried fruits are added.

In order not to choose separate seasonings for mulled wine, you can purchase an already prepared mixture. There are a lot of options - choose the set that best suits your taste.

The set should be in bags made of transparent materials. You should be able to see the quantity as well as the integrity of the spices.

How to drink mulled wine

Mulled wine is often served at the conclusion of a meal, when guests are relaxing after a feast. Hot wine is drunk in small sips, feeling the taste and enjoying the aroma.

There are no separate rules, so mulled wine can be served with meat, poultry, and fish dishes.

In Germany, at festivals, sweets, cakes, chocolate, and pies are served as snacks.
Swedes enjoy eating it with smoked fish; as an appetizer, they serve canapés with spicy varieties of cheese.
In Holland they drink it with fluffy donuts, buns, and baked goods.
In Russia, the Republic of Belarus, and Ukraine, they can combine it with sausage, baked meat, nuts, pancakes, and buns.
Austrians serve pies or rich pastries.

Do you drink the drink cold? It is better to drink it hot; a cooled cocktail is similar to a sour regular wine. But such an elixir will not bring pleasure.

Cooking methods (recipes)

Classic version

First you need to prepare the classics.

Classic elixir based on dry or semi-dry wine:

Wine - 1 bottle;
Cinnamon - 2 sticks;
Cloves - 4–5 pcs.;
Sugar - 1 tbsp. l.;
Ginger, star anise, lemon zest - a little at a time.

To prepare the drink, mix wine, spices, sugar in a container and heat to 70 degrees. Learn to determine the temperature by eye: first, steam will rise from the liquid, and then bubbles will appear.

The main thing is not to let it boil. Remove the container from the stove, cover with a lid for 5 minutes, strain, and pour into mugs.

Mulled wine with orange

Orange makes a delicious New Year's cocktail.

Recipe for the original elixir:

Red wine 0.75 l - 2 bottles;
Orange - 2 pcs.;
Cinnamon - 2 sticks;
Ginger – 1 tsp. powder;
Cloves - 5 pcs.;
Crushed nutmeg – 0.5 teaspoon;
Cardamom - 3 grains;
Anise - 2 stars;
Sugar - 4 tbsp. spoons.

How to cook:

Place spices in a container with a thick bottom and pour in 150 ml of water.
Place on the stove and let it boil.
Cover with a lid for 10 minutes.
Strain the liquid, then pour into a 2-liter saucepan.
Pour in wine, add sugar, stir.
Place the oranges, cut into slices, into a container. You can squeeze out the juice, then pour it in.
Place on the stove and wait for bubbles.
Remove the pan from the stove and let sit for 5 minutes. Spill.

Non-alcoholic mulled wine

You can make a delicious non-alcoholic cocktail only with grape juice. You will need:

2 liters of red grape juice;
ginger - 2–3 cm³;
lemon;
1 cinnamon stick;
a pinch of nutmeg;
2-3 pieces of star anise.

You will need non-stick cookware and an enamel container.

How to cook:

Pour juice into a container, heat until bubbles appear. Remove from stove.
Cut the lemon with the peel, remove the seeds.
Place lemon and spices in a saucepan and cover with a lid. Leave for half an hour.
Pour mulled wine into glasses using a ladle.

Red wine mulled wine

To add romance to a festive evening, cook mulled wine over a fire. To prepare you will need:

Dry red wine - 1.5 liters, cabernet or merlot is suitable
Small fruits: apples, lemon, orange - 2 pieces each
Unground spices: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper, cardamom, anise
Honey - optional

How to cook:

Cut the fruit into slices.
First, the wine is placed on hot coals.
When the wine becomes warm, seasoning, fruit, and honey are added.
Leave to simmer at 80 degrees.

When the honey has dissolved, remove from heat, let stand for 10 minutes, and pour into cups.

White wine mulled wine

A hot elixir made with white natural wine warms, fills with energy, tones, and excites even sleepy feelings. The benefits of mulled wine are due to the high content of essential oils, vitamins, and useful elements: titanium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium. A set of useful substances in light varieties improves lung function.

Drinking “flaming wine” is especially pleasant in a warm, friendly atmosphere, admiring the snowfall outside the window.

Let's prepare a hot cocktail based on dry white Georgian wine:

500 ml wine;
1 tbsp. l. honey;
apple;
orange;
1 cinnamon stick;
4 things. carnations;
5 fresh mint leaves, dry.

To prepare:

Divide the orange into 2 parts with a knife. Squeeze fresh juice from one part. Chop the remaining fruit and put it in a container.
Cut the apples into small slices.
Place a cinnamon stick, cloves, apples, and mint in a saucepan.
Pour in 0.5 cups of orange juice, pour in dry white wine, put on the stove and heat until it bubbles.
Let it brew under the lid for 10 minutes, strain.
Add honey and immediately pour into glasses.

Mulled wine with apples

When the apples are ripe in the garden, it’s time to prepare an elixir with apples over a fire to enjoy the autumn gifts.

A method for preparing fruit mulled wine over a fire. We will need: 750 grams of semi-sweet red wine, 2 apples, orange, lemon, 25 grams of water, 3 pcs. cinnamon, 3 cloves, a little nutmeg.

To prepare mulled wine, you need to heat an empty cauldron over coals, pour in water, dissolve sugar in water, gradually adding seasonings. Warm all this up for 5 minutes. Slice the fruit and wine into the cauldron. Heat without bringing to a boil, and immediately remove from the fire. Pour the fiery drink into glasses.

Recipe for mulled wine with cinnamon

In addition to its mild aroma and spicy taste, cinnamon strengthens the immune system, heart muscle, and improves memory.

We will need:

dry red wine – 1.5 liters;
apple juice – 300 ml;
honey – 6 tbsp. l.;
two apples;
two lemons;
cinnamon – 2 sticks;
cloves - 6 buds.

To prepare, do the following:

Remove the core from the apples and cut into slices. Remove the zest from the lemon along with the white pulp.
Pour apple juice and red wine into an enamel container. Add zest, apple slices, cinnamon, and cloves.
Heat to a temperature of 70 degrees.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Mulled wine with honey

There are a lot of recipes for cocktails with honey. For a scalding honey drink you will need:

Red wine – 1 bottle
Lemon, orange - half each
Honey – 2 tbsp. l.
Apple – 1 pc.
Cardamom - several grains
Cinnamon – 1 tsp.

Heat the wine and all ingredients, except honey, to 70 degrees. Let the drink brew for the aroma of spices to develop, then stir in the honey and pour into cups.

Instead of cardamom, you can add cloves, cinnamon, star anise, lemon peels, nuts, raisins, and bay leaves.

How to make mulled wine for colds

A proven recipe for preventing colds. If you notice that you have a cold, prepare this healing elixir.

Ingredients:

a bottle of dry red wine – 0.7 l;
honey – 3 tbsp. l.;
half a lemon;
sour apple – 1 pc.;
ginger – 3 rings;
cloves - 6 buds;
cinnamon – 1 stick;
cardamom – 2 pieces;
nutmeg – 0.5 tsp;
black pepper – 4 peas.

How to cook:

Cut the apple and lemon (along with zest) into slices.
Add spices to the wine and stir.
Over medium heat, heat to 70°C, stirring.
Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.
Add apples and lemon, leave for another 10 minutes, strain.
Stir in honey.
Take hot mulled wine before bed in small sips of 250 ml. Can be heated.

How to cook mulled wine in a slow cooker

The drink can be prepared in a slow cooker.

To prepare you will need:

1 bottle of dry white wine;
15 pcs. carnations;
2–3 star anise;
7 chopped almond kernels;
2 pieces of dried ginger root - 2-3 cm³;
cinnamon stick;
orange;
10 pieces of raisins;
0.5 glasses of cognac;
2 tbsp. Sahara.

Step by step:

Pour wine into the bowl, set the “Warming” mode.
Add all the spices and nuts, cover with a lid and heat for 10 minutes.
Cut the orange in half, squeeze the juice from one part into the bowl, put the second part into the wine, cut into slices.
Close the lid and leave to warm up for another 20 minutes.
Turn off the multicooker and let the drink sit for another 20 minutes. Pour and serve.

New Year's mulled wine recipe

On New Year's Eve the table is full of food and alcoholic drinks. Therefore, at the end of the evening you just want to chat with friends while slowly sipping a hot, refreshing cocktail.

Ingredients:

Juice from dark grape varieties - 500 ml.
Water - 100 ml.
Zest of half an orange.
Zest of one lemon.
Half an apple.
Two tbsp. raisins
Cinnamon - 1 stick.
Cloves - 5-6 pcs.
Cardamom - 4 grains.
Ginger powder - 0.5 tsp.

To prepare the drink, you need:

Pour grape juice and water into a container with a thick bottom.
Add spices, citrus zest, chopped apples, raisins.
Heat the mixture to 70 degrees. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
Strain and serve hot.

Mulled wine with honey and ginger

This recipe will relieve apathy and dispel sad thoughts. At the same time it will relieve colds:

Dry red wine – 1 bottle;
half an apple and half an orange;
hibiscus – a pinch;
honey - 2 tbsp;
cinnamon – 1 stick;
star anise – 2-3 stars;
vanilla sugar – 10 g;
ginger – 3-5 thin rings.

Pour wine over all seasonings, fruits, sugar and heat to 70 degrees. Let it brew for 10 minutes, then stir in the honey, the result will be very tasty.

Coffee mulled wine with cognac

Everyone will enjoy a real festive drink with a delicate taste. Drinking it is a complete pleasure.

Dry red wine - pour 600 ml into a saucepan, add 70 ml of cognac and a cup of espresso coffee (you can, for example, instant), add 100 grams of sugar.
Heat over heat until sugar dissolves. Don't let it boil. If desired, you can add any spices. Before serving, garnish the glass with, for example, a slice of lemon.

Classic mulled wine recipe at home

The recipe for classic mulled wine at home includes a small set of aromatic spices, fresh fruit and red wine. Thanks to cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg, mulled wine is not only tasty, but also aromatic, and a small amount of ginger adds spice to it. Orange makes the wine soft and sweet, and lemon adds a very slight contrasting sourness, thanks to which the taste of the drink begins to play with new colors.

You will need:

Red wine – 2 bottles;
Sugar –150 g;
Grated nutmeg – 1 pinch;
Ground ginger – 0.5 tsp;
Cloves – 10 buds;
Cinnamon – 3 sticks;
Orange – 2 pcs.;
Lemon – 1 pc.;
Star anise – 3 stars
Strong alcohol – 1 tbsp. l.

Classic mulled wine recipe at home

Cooking process:

Since fruits in stores are often coated with a layer of wax to help them store better, it is better to treat them. Pour boiling water over the oranges, then take a towel and rub them well, using some force.
After the oranges are waxed, take a special vegetable peeler and remove the zest with it. During the process, do not press the knife too hard, since you need to remove the zest so that there is no white layer on it. If you don’t have a special knife, you can use a regular kitchen knife, it’s just more difficult to remove the zest. The exact same operation should be done with lemon.
Take a saucepan, it is best to use one with a thick bottom. Pour 200 ml of water into a pan, add ginger, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and nutmeg. Add orange and lemon zest to water and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes.
Add sugar and squeeze the juice from one orange. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add strong alcohol and cook for 5 minutes (it is best to use cognac or rum).
Reduce heat to low and add red wine. While stirring the contents of the pan, bring it to a state where a white foam begins to form on the surface, but under no circumstances allow it to boil.
Essentially, the mulled wine is already ready and you can serve it on the table. However, to make it even tastier and richer, it is recommended to cover it with a lid and leave it to stand for an hour, then reheat it again and only then serve it.

Pour the finished mulled wine into beautiful glasses to create a festive atmosphere. You can serve with drinking straws and garnish the rim of the glass with an orange slice.