I first tasted mulled wine on a trip to Russia. The idea of drinking a warm wine sounded appealing because we had come running in from a drenching cold rain in St. Petersburg.

Did you know that the average total amount of sunny days in St. Pete’s is only 75 days per year, most of which fall within summer? Yikes! No way this Indian-born Dallas girl can survive without sunshine! Although, I must say that it is one of my most favorite cities in the world, and I’d go visit it again in a heartbeat. The location at low latitude makes Saint Petersburg a place of many magnificent phenomena with mind-boggling museums, promenades, parks, architecture, culture and food.

You haven’t been to Russia in the Fall or winter, if you haven’t tried glintwein, which is what mulled wine is called there. You can order it as you would any other drink at most cafés and restaurants, even though it is not always written on the menu. If you can’t find it then all you need to do is to show them: “глинтвейн” using the English-Russian Google Translate for mulled wine.

A Brief History of Mulled Wine

Mulled wine is a favorite in many other cold countries in Europe. In Sweden it goes by the name of glögg and is only allowed to be served in Swedish society during the month of December, and then only up until the last day of Christmas, the 26^th. In Russia the rules are not so strict. Unlike Scandinavians and Germans, who are known to drink glintwein like it’s nobody’s business, Russians have their own way of approaching and approving it. They consider this drink to be good for your health and an excellent way of keeping any kind of disease away.

Whether that is true or not, what better way to warm up when it’s frosty outside than to drink a glass of sweet, spicy and hot wine? Bring a thermos of glintwein with you when you go skiing or ice-skating or on a crispy spring day picnic, and you’ll find it to be an outstanding method of kicking back afterwards. Here’s a very interesting history on mulled wine if you want to delve further.

In the US, you will find cheap mulled wine on store shelves. I strongly suggest that you stay away them. For one, they are sugary sweet, and for another, the spices don’t have the flavor that freshly made wine brings.

Spiced Mulled Wine Ingredients

The ingredients are simple. Let’s talk about them:

Wine

I’d pick a wine that is middle-of-the-road in terms of price. Say, around $10. A good Cabernet Sauvignon or a Syrah will do just fine. Don’t get anything too sweet. Allow the sweetness to come from the other ingredients. The drier the wine, the better. You may also love this White Wine Infused Carrot-Ginger Soup for a quick meal on chilly days.

Spices

Ah, what can I say about the spices? These are the stars of the show. Cloves, cardamom, star anise and cinnamon stick combine to create this headily spicy aroma that’s the most wonderful feature of this drink. Use fresh, whole spices for that wonderful taste and flavor. Pre-packaged powdered or crushed spices will quickly lose their fragrance. You can use these spices to brew your own Probiotic Kombucha.

Brandy

My mom used to give me half a teaspoon of brandy growing up to ward off coughs and colds. Not sure how effective it was. For this recipe, you  don’t need too much of it, and you can read up my review of Meera Shashidhara’s book review on how people over the age of 100 enjoyed a glass of brandy once in a while to keep fit.

Apple Cider

There are many varieties of apple cider. Get the best and freshest that money can buy. Don’t skimp on this one. This is a vital ingredient in the mulled wine. Most grocery stores stock apple cider during fall and winter months. Read the ingredients label to make sure it is not doused in sugar or preservatives. You can also make apple cider at home.

Honey

Repeat, don’t get cheap store-bought honey. Get the raw, unfiltered, local version. Read about the healing benefits of honey in this blog.

Orange

Get a juicy one – both for zesting and for extracting the juice. Organic is better since you are using the zest.

There are several wonderful appetizers that you can serve with this mulled wine. A few for you to try out:

• Balsamic Bruschetta
• Spiced Purple Sweet Potato-Cauliflower Bake
• Zesty Carrot-Garbanzo Usli
• Baked Eggplant
• Baba Ghanoush
• Blistered Shishito Peppers
• Guacomole
• Pesarattu Kura
• Colorful Vegetarian Tacos
• Cabbage Wada
• Crunchy Baked Plantain Chips

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5 from 4 votes

Spiced Mulled Wine

This is a wonderfully drink with star anise, cinnamon and other spices is perfect for those chilly and crispy winter, spring and fall months. Great for entertaining and serving at get-togethers.

Course Drinks

Cuisine International

Keyword apple cider, brandy, cinnamon, drink, mulled wine, red wine, spiced mulled wine, Spices, star anise, wine

Special Diet Gluten Free, Grain Free, Nut Free, Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 8 People

Calories 159kcal

Equipment

• Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Red Wine - 750 ml bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah or any other dry wine
• 2 Cups Apple Cider
• 1 Star Anise
• 6 Pods Cardamom
• 8 Cloves
• 1 Stick Cinnamon - 4-5 inches
• 1/4 Cup Brandy - I've used 1889 Royal Brandy
• 3 Tablespoons Honey - Raw, local. Or to taste
• 1 Orange - Freshly Squeezed and zested

Instructions

• Pour wine into a thick-bottom dish and turn on the stove to low heat. Add cloves, cardamom, star anise and cinnamon.
  
• Add apple cider.
  
• Grate the zest of one orange into the wine. Extract juice from the orange.
  
• Pour the fresh orange juice into the wine, stir and heat the wine gently.
  
• Add honey (start with 2 tablespoons and add more only if needed) and brandy and turn off the heat. Don’t let it boil – it will make the alcohol disappear (and nobody would want that to happen). The best way to make sure you won’t cook off the alcohol is to heat it until the room you’re cooking in starts to smell spicy. That’s when you know it is time to enjoy. 
  
• Pour out into cups (you can filter out the spices if you wish or leave them be) and enjoy this wonderfully refreshing drink. Please drink responsibly!!
  

Notes

 

*Use organic ingredients wherever possible

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Spiced Mulled Wine

Serving Size

 

6 ounces

Amount per Serving

Calories

159

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

1

g

2

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Sodium

 

7

mg

0

%

Potassium

 

220

mg

6

%

Carbohydrates

 

19

g

6

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

14

g

16

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

37

IU

1

%

Vitamin C

 

10

mg

12

%

Calcium

 

30

mg

3

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.