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A mug of mulled wine in front of a Christmas tree with twinkle lights.

Mulled Wine recipe

Meg van der Kruik
This recipe for mulled wine was inspired by Vin Brulé a popular spiced wine recipe served in Italy.
5 from 7 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla bean seeds scraped from the pod
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 green cardamom pods cracked open with the back of a knife
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 2 whole star anise
  • strips of peel from 1 orange no pith, see note
  • juice of 1/2 an orange
  • strips of peel from 1/2 a lemon no pith, see note
  • 1 750ml bottle red wine we used Zinfandel, but a more traditional choice would be a Sangiovese.

Optional garnishes

  • 3-4 shots brandy optional, divided, to serve
  • slices of orange optional, to serve
  • whole cinnamon sticks optional, to serve

Instructions
 

  • Combine the water and sugar in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Stir periodically until the sugar dissolves.
  • Lower the heat and add all of the ingredients except for the wine to the pot. Bring back to a simmer and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the wine and stir to combine. Heat over very low heat for 10-15 minutes. Make sure not to boil or even allow this to bubble once the wine has been added. You are just looking for a nice warm heat where you can see the steam rising from the pan, but there is no disruption to the liquid.
    Allowing the wine to heat too high will cook out the alcohol.
  • To serve, drop a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick into each mug. Add 1 ounce of brandy to the bottom of the mug if desired then fill the cup the rest of the way with mulled wine.
  • The mulled wine will be fine kept over the very low heat for a few hours, but never allow it to bubble.

Notes

When peeling citrus for making mulled wine be sure to use a very sharp vegetable peeler to peel the fruit. You want only the zest of the citrus, none of the bitter white pith beneath. The pith will alter the taste of your beverage completely - so take your time when peeling the citrus. 
Keyword cocktails, mulled wine, red wine, spiced wine, warm wine cocktail
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