Hot mulled drinks are one of our favorite ways to raise a toast to the fall and holiday season. Many cultures have their version of mulled wine and mulled cider, from the French Glühwein to the Nordic Glögg. Typically a combination of red wine, warming mulled spices and sometimes a splash of brandy, these hot concoctions are brewed in large batches and imbibed with friends and family to keep you warm on chilly evenings.
But there is no single correct way to make mulled drinks. By mixing up the base beverage along with the spices, fruit and liqueurs, you can create a custom cocktail for your next gathering. It’s a fun way to get creative this holiday season and all you need to get started is a colorful Stockpot, a stove-top and a Ladle. Let us walk you through the building blocks for how to make hot mulled drinks so you can get started on your own festive combination.
Pick a Base Beverage
Each batch should begin with a quality base. Wine is the traditional choice and this is a great place to use an everyday wine that you enjoy by the glass. Low quality wine will only taste worse when warmed up, but you also don’t want to use an expensive bottle that you’re saving for a special occasion. Red wine is traditional but you can also make a lighter version with a crisp white wine or dry rosé. If you aren’t a big fan of wine, apple cider is another festive choice for a hot, winter beverage. You can use hard cider for a drink with a kick or use non-alcoholic apple cider or even cranberry juice for a kid-friendly version.
Add Fresh or Dried Fruit
Fruit adds texture, flavor and sweetness to the final drink. Citrus fruits, such as blood orange and lemons, are popular choices that add a pop of color as well as a bit of bright acidity when you add the fruit along with its juice. Whole cranberries are a fun holiday option as are pomegranate seeds. In some traditional versions, such as Glögg, raisins are added to the mix, but any of your favorite dried fruit will yield delicious results. Just make sure that whatever fruit you choose, you save a few pieces to use as a colorful garnish for each glass.
Add Some Sugar and Spice
Mulling spices include dried spices that you typically think of as fragrant and warming holiday flavors – cinnamon, allspice, cloves, star anise and cardamom are all welcome. Whole spices are best for mulled wine as ground spices won’t incorporate and they will just make the mixture cloudy. Simply pop a few pieces of your chosen spices directly into the pot or you can wrap them in cheesecloth for easy retrieval. Then to add sweetness to the pot, practically any form of sugar, honey or syrup will work. Liquid sweeteners are an excellent option but since the beverage will simmer for a bit, granulated sugars will dissolve easily as well.
Add a Liqueur
This is an optional step but it’s a great way to punch up the flavor of your favorite mulled beverage. Brandy and cognac are classic additions to mulled red wine, but flavored liqueurs such as apple or apricot also work well. Any citrus flavored spirit plays nicely with the fruit when added to mulled wine, as do spiced rums or even a cinnamon-spiked whiskey. Get creative with your liquor cabinet to make your own signature blend.
Flavor Combinations
Although the possible combinations are endless, we’ve put together a quick reference chart to help you get started. Stock your pantry with a few different options and you can toss together a unique mulled beverage in minutes.
