Mulled Wine
Red wine warmed with orange, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, vanilla and cognac. Spiced, sweet and deeply warming, with a bright citrus note from the orange running through it. The smell alone is reason enough to make it!
Ingredients
- 750 ml red wine a decent Côtes du Rhône works
- 2 orange 1 sliced, 1 juiced
- 100 gr caster sugar adjust to taste
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 vanilla pod
- 50 ml cognac or brandy, for extra warmth
Equipment
Instructions
1. Prep your spices
- Lightly crush the cardamom pods with the flat of a knife. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds (both pod and seeds go in). Slice one orange into rounds.
2. Combine everything
- Pour the wine into a large saucepan. Add the sugar, orange slices, orange juice and all the spices. Stir well to dissolve the sugar.
3. Heat gently, don't boil
- Put the pan over a low heat and warm through for 15–20 minutes. You want it steaming and fragrant, but if it boils you'll cook off the alcohol and end up with expensive fruit juice. Keep it just below simmering point.
4. Taste and adjust
- After 15 minutes, taste. Too sweet? A squeeze more orange juice. Not sweet enough? A bit more sugar. Want it stronger? Splash in the cognac now.
5. Strain and serve
- Strain out the spices and orange through a fine sieve. Ladle into heatproof glasses or mugs while hot. Add an orange slice or cinnamon stick to each glass if you're feeling decorative.
Notes
- For the wine, don't use anything expensive, but don't use paint stripper either. A basic French red, Côtes du Rhône, Merlot or even Beaujolais, works perfectly. The spices do the heavy lifting.
- French mulled wine is less sweet than German glühwein. Start with 100g and adjust, some like it barely sweetened, others want it properly syrupy.
- Cinnamon, cloves and orange are non-negotiable. Everything else is fair game, some recipes add fresh ginger, nutmeg or a bay leaf. Experiment.
- For an alcohol-free version, use red grape juice instead of wine and add a little lemon juice for acidity. Works surprisingly well for kids or if you're driving.
- You can make this a few hours ahead and reheat gently before serving. It tastes better once the spices have had time to infuse.