Spiced Citrus Mulled Wine (Easy Recipe) - Crowded Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

How to serve mulled wine for a party? ›

Right Temperature: Serve mulled wine warm, but not too hot. Aim for a temperature that's comfortable to sip, similar to a warm cup of tea. Appropriate Glassware: Use heat-resistant glasses or mugs. Traditional glass wine goblets might crack with the heat, so opt for thicker, sturdier glasses or even festive mugs.

Modern day mulled wine is typically sweeter than its 'spiced wine' predecessors, as it tends to use more fruit juice to help tune out the overwhelming acidity and spice.

One important thing to remember when making your mulled wine – don't boil or heat it for too long! You'll cook off all the alcohol and be left with tasty but boozeless mulled grape juice.

To keep the wine warm, leave the slow cooker on the “Keep Warm” setting. If your slow cooker does not have a warm setting, alternate between “Low” and “Off.” TO STORE: Let your mulled wine cool completely, then pour it into an airtight storage container and place it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Heating the mulled wine slowly over a low temperature will ensure the flavours infuse without the risk of the alcohol evaporating away. If your slow cooker has a 'keep warm' function, use it so you don't have to repeatedly reheat your mulled wine during a Christmas party.

Mulled Wine Ingredients:

Wine: No need to splurge on a pricey bottle — a mid-range bottle of dry red or white wine will do. (Or if you're making a big batch, this is a great recipe to break out a nicer boxed wine too!)

Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas.

Method. Put the red wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, lemon zest and sugar in a large pan. Cook on a low heat for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and cool, leaving to infuse for about 30 mins.

Serve them in little glass cups with handles, add a bit of orange peel and nobody will know that you didn't make it yourself. And finally, whether you're buying it in or making it yourself, a glug of port, sloe gin or even rum before serving will lift the whole thing.

Yes. Even though the spiced wine is heated, most of the alcohol remains.

Why is my mulled wine bitter? ›

The Spices

Ground spices are much easier to overdo, which can lead to a bitter mulled wine that tastes more like raw cinnamon than a delightful, warming beverage. Cinnamon is the most essential spice in mulled wine.

The best red wine to use for mulled wine is Merlot, Zinfandel or Garnacha (also called Grenache). These wines are dark, fruity and full bodied, which means they can support all of the flavors we'll be adding. Look for labels that describe the wine as “jammy” or with “notes of vanilla.”

If your mulled wine reaches its boiling point, two things will happen. You'll evaporate off more alcohol than necessary, resulting in a weak final product. Boiling also affects the flavor of the wine, leaving you with a bitter and unpleasant beverage.

Once the mixture has cooled and the spices have fully infused the wine, you can pop it in the fridge to chill. You'll want to refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, but you can leave it for longer than that. The mulled wine should keep for roughly 2 weeks in your fridge, so you can drink it slowly over time.

Serve chilled or over ice, with a twist of orange zest and a star anise. If you'd like to serve a traditional warm mulled wine, there's no need to chill – simply warm through without boiling and serve in heatproof glasses.

DO YOU SERVE MULLED WINE BEFORE OR AFTER DINNER? There are no rules when it comes to the best time to serve mulled wine. Enjoy a mug mid-afternoon on a cold winter's day, share it with friends around the barbeque while waiting for the sausages to sizzle, or dunk in a ginger snap for a warming late evening wind down.

Our plain bright white unbranded hot paper cups are suitable for hot and cold drinks, catering for the "to-go market" typically for serving teas and coffee. This single wall cup design can also fit well with soup, mulled wine or hot hearty punches, or just when you don't want the typical printed “coffee cup design”.