This mulled wine recipe is the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold winter’s night! Red wine is warmed with apple cider, orange juice, and spices for a naturally sweetened drink that is perfect for your next holiday party.

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This recipe is…
If you’ve been around here long enough, you know we love a good pitcher cocktail! A make-ahead drink means that you don’t have to spend your whole evening playing mixologist for your guests while still giving everyone something just a little bit more fun to drink.
This mulled wine was a no-brainer recipe to develop! With it’s fruity (just-enough) sweetness and comforting spices, a sip of this drink is like a big, warm hug. It makes me think holiday parties, sitting around the fire talking with friends, and strolling around on a cold night to look at Christmas lights.
Looking for more delicious, festive cocktails? We’ve got you! Try our spiked eggnog, apple cider margarita, cranberry margarita, and holiday cranberry sangria recipes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s easy – as far as method goes, all you have to do is add a handful of ingredients to a pot on the stove, and then let the heat work its magic. This is an especially easy pitcher cocktail that will leave you with more time for your guests and less time behind the bar.
- It’s warm and comforting – a lot of cocktails are served cold or even at room temperature, so there’s just something super comforting about a warm beverage on a cold winter’s evening.
Mulled Wine Ingredients
You’ll just need a handful of ingredients for this recipe, all of which can be found at your local grocery store. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Red wine – feel free to use any red wine that you love here. A malbec, merlot, or cabernet sauvignon would all work beautifully.
- Orange juice – fresh orange juice is always best! If your store sells freshly squeezed, bottled OJ, we recommend grabbing that. Otherwise, you’ll need to squeeze about a half cup of orange juice, or about 2 medium oranges-worth.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Make it alcohol-free – if you still want the mulled wine experience but want to keep things alcohol-free, simply sub the red wine for an alcohol-free red wine. There are several options available online – here’s a non-alcoholic cabernet sauvignon that has great reviews!
- Make it in the slow cooker – to make this recipe in the slow cooker, simply add all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and set it on low for an hour!
How to Make Mulled Wine
This is the easiest cocktail recipe to throw together! Follow along below for the full how-to.
Step 1: Add the wine to a medium-sized pot.
Step 2: Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, stir, and let it simmer on low until heated through.
Step 3: Use a ladle to spoon into glasses, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
Make sure the wine doesn’t boil – be sure to let the wine come to a low simmer, but don’t let it boil. Boiling it will cause the alcohol to cook off, which isn’t ideal if you’re looking to make a festive cocktail!
How to Serve
Serve this cocktail in a beautiful glass with a garnish of cinnamon sticks and star anise!
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover mulled wine in an airtight container/jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure to let the wine cool completely before transferring it.
When you’re ready to reheat the mulled wine, pour it back into a pot and heat it over medium-low heat until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, mulled wine is definitely an alcoholic beverage! Unless you boil the mulled wine and cook off the alcohol, the alcohol content will still be there.
Our recipe calls for red wine, orange juice, apple cider, orange slices, star anise, and cinnamon sticks. Simple and delicious!
While mulled wine is served warm, it isn’t just warm wine. It’s a delicious combination of wine, orange juice, apple cider, orange slices, star anise, and cinnamon sticks.
More Favorite Winter Cocktails
If you tried this Mulled Wine recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Mulled Wine Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 bottles red wine, like a malbec, merlot, cab, or whatever you have on hand!
- 1 cup apple cider
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 orange, cut into ½-inch thick discs
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise flowers
Instructions
- Stovetop: place in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cover while serving.
- Slow cooker: place all your ingredients in the slow cooker and set on low for about 1 hour.
How many people does this recipe serve?
This recipe sounds delightful and I love the idea of using the slow cooker, that takes all the stress out of it. Thank you for sharing! ๐
If I want to cut recipe in half do I still cook for the same amount of time?
Yes! This will give the spices time to infuse.
Hi! The text says to cook low for 1 hr but the directions say 2 hrs. Whatโs best in the slow cooker? Thanks!
It’ll be one hour!