Everyone has their own idea about what the perfect mulled wine is. It's a certainty that people will disagree about whether this recipe for mulled wine really is perfect or not, but it contains the primary elements of some of the most popular mulled wine recipes in Europe.
So even if it's not everyone's perfect mulled wine recipe, it's the perfect mulled wine recipe to start with. Once you understand it, you can start adjusting it to your own tastes and thus make it the perfect mulled wine for your family holidays.
Perfect Mulled Wine Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 bottle of red wine
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 5-6 whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp ginger root
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 5 pods cardamom
- 1 orange or lemon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup brandy
Ingredient Notes
- You can substitute honey or maple syrup for the brown sugar
- Save a lemon or orange wedge for garnish
Perfect Mulled Wine Preparation
Equipment Needed for Mulled Wine
- 1 Cheesecloth, about a foot square (clean!)
- Medium saucepan
- Zester
- Grater
- Ladle
- Mugs
Tip: use a saucepan of nonreactive metal - aluminum saucepans will react to the red wine's acids, thus creating a metallic taste in your mulled wine.
Preparation Time for Mulled Wine
- 15 minutes to prepare the ingredients
- 15 minutes to heat the red wine
- 5 minutes to serve your mulled wine
Making a Perfect Mulled Wine
Perfect Mulled Wine Recipe
- Coarsely grate the ginger and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp each
- Crack open the cardamon pods
- Zest half of the orange or lemon
- Combine all the spices and the zested citrus in the cheesecloth
- Tie a knot to seal the cheesecloth and place in saucepan
- Add the red wine and brandy to the saucepan
- After the wine mixture is warm, add the sugar
- Stir occasionally until it reaches a simmer
- Once the mulled wine starts lightly steaming, it's ready to serve
Note: don't let the mulled wine reach a boil — alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, so if the mixture starts boiling then you are already losing a lot of the alcohol. You may also eliminate some of the subtle flavors.
Serving a Perfect Mulled Wine
- Ladle the hot mulled wine into mugs
- Add lemon or orange garnish, if desired
Serving Tips
- Pre-heat the mugs to ensure the mulled wine stays warm
- Have lemon wedges and extra sugar on hand — lemon can add acidity if the wine is too sweet and sugar can add sweetness if that's what you prefer
