Best Mulled Wine Recipe

When the weather is cold, it's all about hot drinks. Of course, a mug of hot chocolate is entirely comforting. Creamy chai tea or apple cider will certainly fit the bill as well. But if you want something a bit, ahem, stronger, then we have the perfect answer. Enter: mulled wine.

Mulled wine is a festive drink with the most incredible ruby red hue. It's made by simmering mulling spices with red wine, offering a complex and entirely sippable drink for the colder months. Making mulled wine is also a great air freshener, bringing a cozy fragrance to the house. And recipe developer and food photographer Petar Marshall is here to share just how to make this soothing drink in a few quick and simple steps. "This flavorful mulled wine is sure to warm you up on even the coldest of days," says Marshall. "And it's so simple to whip up a batch at home."

To get started on making your own batch of mulled wine, grab your ingredients first. For this recipe, you'll need one bottle of red wine, three whole cinnamon sticks, three whole star anise, 10 whole cloves, and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. 

"Be sure you're choosing decent red wine as your base," says Marshall. "Your mulled wine will only be as good as the red wine you use to make it."

And as for the spices? It's important to utilize whole spices, rather than ground spices for this recipe. The last thing you want to sip on is gritty mulled wine.

With your ingredients ready, it's time to make mulled wine. And the best part is, it'll be ready to sip in a matter of minutes!

First, pour the entire bottle of red wine into a pot. Next up, you'll want to add in the spices. "The cinnamon, star anise, and whole cloves serve as the blend of mulling spices for this mulled wine," says Marshall. "This is a simple blend, but you could add other whole spices such as ginger and allspice, too."

Once the spices are added to the mulled wine, it's time to add in the maple syrup. "The maple syrup slightly sweetens the mulled wine to balance the spices," says Marshall. "If you'd like a sweeter drink, add a bit more maple syrup, or swap it out for honey."

With all of the ingredients in the pot, all that's left to do is let it simmer. Allow the mulled wine to simmer on low on the stove for at least 10 minutes. According to Marshall, if you can let it simmer longer, that's better. "It'll be ready after 10 minutes, but you can allow it to keep simmering and add great fragrance to the house for an hour," he says.

After you've allowed the mulled wine to simmer with the spices and maple syrup, serve it in mugs. Garnish the mulled wine with a cinnamon stick and whole star anise, and enjoy.