When the temperatures drop, get this flavorful mulled wine on the stovetop. Its cozy flavors of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg will warm you up quickly!
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
It’s the time to be merry and drink hot mulled wine!
Spiced with clove orange, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon, hot mulled wine is the perfect holiday drink.
Alcohols that work with hot apple cider
After cooking, add alcohol to a single mug or batch of cider to keep the alcohol from cooking away. Try one of these.
- dark rum
- spice rum
- brandy
- bourbon
- Madeira wine
Choosing the best cider for mulled wine
This recipe works best with fresh-squeezed cider, which is sold chilled, rather than long-life cider, which is essentially pasteurized apple juice. If you can get cider at a farmer’s market or local orchard, all the better.
Cider is juice pressed from apples, usually early in the season and often unfiltered. It comes pasteurized or unpasteurized. Pasteurization kills bacteria and other microorganisms and the cider lasts longer. In the case of unpasteurized juices, the bacteria and other microorganisms have not been destroyed. Some people prefer their flavor and say they taste fresher, but there’s a very small chance they could cause a foodborne illness.
This recipe calls for non-alcoholic cider (fresh cider). In the United States, we typically refer to alcoholic cider as hard cider to distinguish it from the non-alcoholic version, but traditionally cider has always been alcoholic.
Prepare the apple cider spice mix ahead of time
To make the mulled wine quickly, mix together cloves, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, freshly ground nutmeg, and cardamom pods and store in a tightly sealed container for several weeks. In fact, if you make this frequently, make several small containers of pre-portioned spices. Use only whole, not ground, spices for this cider so they’re easy to strain.
How to make mulled wine in a slow cooker
Place all ingredients (except alcohol if using) in a 4 liter slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours. Strain oranges and spices. Return to the slow cooker and keep it on low so it stays warm for serving.
Mulled Wine Swaps and Subs
- Never substitute ground spices for whole spices.
- Use 1 teaspoon molasses or honey instead of brown sugar.
- Replace the brown sugar with equal amounts of honey.
- Add some cranberry juice to the cider to give it a tart element.
- Grate some fresh ginger into the cider as you add all the spices.
How to serve mulled wine
Serve the mulled wine warm or hot, depending on your taste. Serve in a mug with a cinnamon stick and a slice of orange.
Perfect desserts to serve with hot apple cider
- bread pudding
- Fudgy Brownie Bites
- GINGERBREAD CAKE
- Apple pie bars with crumble topping
- Pumpkin Pie with Cream Cheese Frosting
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Hot mulled wine
Add some alcohol just before serving if you like.
ingredients
-
1/2 gallon fresh, unfiltered cider (non alcoholic)
-
1 orange
-
12 whole cloves
-
4 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
-
fifteen pimento Berry
-
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-
7 whole cardamom pods
-
2 tablespoon unpackaged Brown sugar
method
-
Simmer the cider with orange and spices:
Pour the cider into a 3 quart saucepan, cover and turn the heat up to medium-high.
While the cider is heating, take a vegetable peeler and peel a few thick strips of zest from the orange. Squeeze about half of the cloves into the peeled part of the orange. (You can also just quarter the orange and add the slices and cloves separately. I just love seeing the orange move up and down.)
Add the orange, strips of orange peel, the remaining cloves and the remaining ingredients to the saucepan with the cider. Keep covered and bring the mulled wine mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.
-
Strain orange and spices:
Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the hot mulled wine from the orange, cloves, and other spices.
If you like, you can add a touch of bourbon, brandy, or rum to spice it up a bit.
Serve hot. Add a cinnamon stick to each cup, if you like.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 203 | calories |
| 1g | Fat |
| 51g | carbohydrates |
| 2g | protein |
