Mulled Wine
This mulled wine is the drink that makes a house smell like Christmas — red wine gently warmed with orange, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise until the whole kitchen smells like a holiday market. It is ready in 30 minutes, it serves a crowd from one pot, and it is far better than anything from a bottle: you control the sweetness, the spice, and the wine, and the result is warm, fragrant, and just boozy enough.
The one rule is never to boil it. Wine that boils loses its alcohol and turns bitter, so the pot stays at a gentle simmer — small bubbles at the edge, steam rising, never a rolling boil. A dry, fruity red wine works best; save the expensive bottle for drinking and use a decent table wine here, because the spices do the talking.
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Servings: 8
What You’ll Need
- Large stock pot or Dutch oven
- Fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth
- Ladle
- Heatproof mugs or glasses
A big pot makes mulled wine easy — see our guide to the best stock pots for soup for roomy, heavy-bottomed pots that heat evenly and pour without spilling.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine, such as Merlot or Zinfandel
- 1 orange, sliced into rounds (plus extra slices for garnish)
- 1/4 cup honey or granulated sugar, plus more to taste
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1/4 cup brandy (optional)
- Orange peel strips and extra cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the wine and spices. Pour the wine into a large stock pot. Add the orange slices, honey or sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise.
- Warm gently. Heat over medium-low heat until the wine is steaming and small bubbles form at the edges — about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not let it boil; if it starts to bubble hard, turn the heat down.
- Steep. Turn the heat to low and let the wine steep for 10 minutes so the spices bloom. Taste and add more honey if you like it sweeter.
- Add the brandy. Stir in the brandy if using, and warm for 1 minute more — just enough to heat it through.
- Strain. Strain the mulled wine through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher or straight into mugs, discarding the spices and orange slices.
- Serve. Ladle into heatproof mugs and garnish each one with a fresh orange slice and a cinnamon stick. Serve warm.
Tips for the Best Mulled Wine
- Never boil the wine. Boiling drives off the alcohol and makes the wine taste bitter and flat. Keep it at a gentle simmer — steaming, with small bubbles at the edges — and it stays smooth and fragrant.
- Pick a fruity, affordable red. A dry Merlot, Zinfandel, or Grenache works beautifully; an expensive or heavily oaked wine is wasted under the spices. Avoid anything labeled “cooking wine.”
- Make it ahead. Mulled wine keeps warm on the lowest heat for up to 2 hours — perfect for a party. Make a double batch in a big pot and let guests help themselves, topping up the spices if the second round tastes milder.
Warm, spiced, and smelling of Christmas — this mulled wine is the easiest crowd-pleaser of the holiday season.
