This mulled wine is warm, spiced, and irresistibly fragrant.

This traditional recipe has red wine, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and citrus, with the perfect hint of sweetness.

holiday Mulled Wine with cinnamon sticks

Start A New Family Tradition With This Mulled Wine…

  • Greet guests with a cozy cuppa of warmed wine for a relaxing cozy drink.
  • It’s sweet, spicy, and citrusy. Tantalizing to the senses.
  • Easily made in one pot, it’s no wonder mulled wine is a popular drink.
  • Garnish with cranberries, orange slices, and a cinnamon stick for a colorful and festive look.
ingredients for mulled wine

The Essential Ingredients

Red Wine: Full-bodied wines like Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Grenache work best in this recipe. You can also combine leftover reds as well. For an even more ‘spirited’ version, stir in ¼ cup of Irish whiskey, brandy, or any liqueur on hand.

Spices: Use whole spices that infuse the wine instead of dried or powdered ones that thicken the wine and overwhelm the flavor. You can find pre-bagged mulling spices or wine spices during the holiday season at most supermarkets.

Sweetener: Sweeteners are necessary to offset the wine’s bitter tannins. Honey melts perfectly into the warmed wine, but you can also use maple syrup, agave, brown sugar, or any sugar-free sweetener you like.

Garnishes: Sprigs of rosemary, thyme, thin slices of orange or lemons, orange peel strips, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and sugared or fresh cranberries make colorful and festive garnishes for mulled wine.

Give It A Little Twist

Make a non-alcoholic mulled wine using alcohol-free Merlot or Cabernet or 2 cups of pomegranate juice combined with 2 cups of cranberry juice instead. Serve with a side of candied pecan, or roasted chestnuts for eating while mingling!

How to Make Mulled Wine

  1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan (except garnishes).
  2. Cook on the stove until just warmed (full recipe below).
  3. Ladle into mugs and garnish.

For best results, avoid simmering or boiling the mulled wine.

close up of a glass of Mulled Wine

Storing Mulled Wine

Strain out any garnishes and store mulled wine in a mason jar or other container with a tightly fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it once cooled for up to 3 months.

More Cozy Winter Drinks

Did you enjoy this Mulled Wine Recipe? Leave a rating and a comment below! 

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holiday Mulled Wine with cinnamon sticks
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Mulled Wine

Sweet, savory, and served warm from the stovetop, this mulled wine is a perfect way to celebrate the holidays!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 5 servings

Equipment

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Ingredients  

  • 750 ml red wine any wine you'd like
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 allspice berries optional
  • 1 orange sliced
  • ¼ cup honey more or less to taste
  • garnish as desired additional orange slices, cranberries or cinnamon sticks

Instructions 

  • Combine wine and spices in a medium saucepan.
  • Add sliced orange and honey and heat over low heat for 20 minutes. Do not simmer.
  • To serve, place the mulled wine in mugs and garnish as desired. We add cranberries, orange slices, and a cinnamon stick.

Notes

Wine for Mulled Wine

Choose a full-bodied red wine or red wine blend that has rich spice and berry notes for the best results. Merlot, cabernet, red zinfandel, or red blend are all great options.

Optional Additions

Brandy is an optional addition, I recommend ¼ cup or so per 750ml bottle of wine. You can also try bourbon, cognac, or your favorite liqueur.
Apple Cider is another great addition and will make this a bit lighter on alcohol and will also stretch the bottle of wine to serve a crowd. (Be sure to use apple cider and not apple cider vinegar). Add between 2-4 cups.

More Notes

Do not skip the sweetener, it is needed to balance this recipe. You can substitute brown sugar or a sweetener of your choice.
Do not let the wine come to a boil or the alcohol will evaporate or the wine will reduce too much.
Strain out any garnishes and store the wine in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it once cooled for up to 3 months.
5 from 10 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 5oz | Calories: 185 | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Beverage, Drink, Drinks
Cuisine American
Mulled Wine in glasses with orange slices and cinnamon sticks and a title
quick and tasty Mulled Wine with writing
close up of Mulled Wine in a glass with orange slice and cinnamon stick with writing
traditional Mulled Wine in a glass and top view of glasses on a tray with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

    1. It should last up to 3 days if kept in the refrigerator and it can be reheated the same way it was originally prepared in this recipe.

  1. This mulled wine was excellent! One of the best I’ve ever had. We added 2 tablespoons of Grand Mariner which I thought was perfect and it had the perfect balance. SWP Employee5 stars