Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is a very popular drink in the Nordic countries of Europe. It consists of spiced red wine, which is served very hot. That is why it is a typical drink on cold days, especially at Christmas. And it also has its own day in the calendar as we saw in the gastronomic ephemeris. Every March 3 is celebrated the day of the Mulled Wine or Spiced Wine. Therefore, today we want to know a little more about this curious drink. We will also see a multitude of types of mulled wine by country, and a huge list of ingredients that we can add to make our own mulled wine.
This spicy drink has its origin in Europe, although in the southern countries it is not so well known. In the Nordic countries it is a very popular drink especially in the Christmas street markets, and it is at Christmas when most people drink mulled wine. It is the best way to warm up the body after the Christmas walks enjoying the lights and decorations.
Mulled Wine Day
Although this drink is very typical at Christmas, March 3 has been chosen for this celebration. Like most of the most curious gastronomic ephemeris, it is celebrated in the United States (where they do not miss a single one), and in the United Kingdom, where Mulled or Spiced Wine is also very popular.
And, although we have tried to get to the origin of this day, we have not been able to find out for sure why this unwinterly date has been chosen to celebrate Mulled Wine Day.
Celebrate Mulled Wine Day with this delicious recipe
Undoubtedly, the best way to celebrate Mulled Wine Day is to prepare this delicious drink yourself. If you are up for it, here is the recipe for Mulled Wine, but the German version, or Glühwein, one of the most popular and well known.
You will see that the recipe is super simple, and requires practically no time at all. In addition, later we will also see some versions of this drink.
Recipe for German Glühwein, mulled wine
Ingredients
- 3 Cup Red wine
- 3 Oz Brown sugar
- 4 Cardamom
- 6 Cloves
- 2 Cinnamon stick
- 2 Star anise
- Ground Nutmeg (to taste)
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Orange
Instructions
- The recipe is very simple. Let's start by peeling the lemon and orange, as we only need the peel.Reserve some orange segments or some thin slices to decorate the glasses later.In a saucepan, we are going to put the sugar, the orange and lemon peel and the rest of the spices.3 Oz Brown sugar, 4 Cardamom, 6 Cloves, 2 Cinnamon stick, Ground Nutmeg, 1 Lemon, 1 Orange, 2 Star anise
- Put over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring so it does not burn. Add the wine and lower the heat. Let it cook for half an hour without boiling. Stirring from time to time.3 Cup Red wine
- After that time, taste it to check if it is to your taste of sweetness. If you want it sweeter, add a little more sugar or honey, as you choose.Serve the wine, straining it and decorating with thin slices of orange, a cinnamon stick or star anise
Notes
NOTE 2: Do not use a poor quality wine, as it is the main ingredient and its quality will define the quality of our spicy drink.
Nutrition
What are the ingredients in Mulled Wine?
The good thing about this drink is that we can make a multitude of different versions. So if you have decided to celebrate Mulled Wine Day, let’s take a look at some of the many options we have. We can even use white wine instead of red wine. Although the most traditional is the latter, there are also versions with white wine.
And, being very popular in so many countries, there are many variations of this drink. The key is to combine the ingredients as you like. Therefore, we are going to see a list with some of the options we have to spice our Mulled Wine. Choose the ones you like the most and combine them as you like to get your perfect spiced wine and celebrate your day in a very original way!
- Cinnamon, in branch.
- Sugar or Honey. You can use whichever you prefer. When heating the wine, if you choose honey, it will melt without any problem. Regarding the sugar, you can choose between brown or white sugar.
- Citrus peel. The most usual are lemon and orange. Add the peel (always avoiding the white part) to add that rich flavor to the wine. Or, add it to the recipe grated. And, just as you include the peel of these citrus fruits, you can also incorporate a splash of orange or lemon juice; or even both. And why not a slice of these fruits?
- Peach in pieces, we can also add diced fruit. We can choose the one we like the most, although, undoubtedly, peach is one of the best for it (together with pear).
The cloves are one of the fundamental ingredients for this recipe.
- Cloves, this spice has a powerful flavor and aroma, so it is better not to overdo it. For about 750 ml. of wine, 6 cloves will be enough.
- Vanilla stick. It is true that in some places it can be somewhat difficult to find vanilla sticks. And, if you can find it, its price is not very affordable. Therefore you can substitute it for a few drops of vanilla essence if you do not want to miss this delicious touch to your spiced wine.
- Ginger. Use it fresh. You can add a whole piece, and then remove it once the wine has infused, or add it grated to the drink.
- Bay leaves. Prepare the most traditional spiced wine of all, the recipe of the Romans, by adding a couple of bay leaves. But remember to wash them very well before adding them to the wine.
- Nutmeg. Add a pinch of Nutmeg to give it a very peculiar flavor.
- Cardamom. It is true that, to benefit from the properties of cardamom and to give it more flavor, we should add it split, so that the seeds come out from inside. But this way it can be somewhat more annoying when drinking the wine. Therefore, we recommend that you include the whole cardamom balls.
- Black pepper. Just a pinch, because it gives a lot of flavor and a small contrast will be very good. But if we overdo it, we may not even be able to drink it.
Add tea and infuse it with the wine to flavor it even more.
We have even found recipes that include cranberry juice, apple cider, or fruity liqueurs to the combination. Another very good idea, which we have taken from a UK blog, consists of adding Chai tea to the wine to give it even more flavor and aromatize it in a very original way.
In addition to all these ingredients, it is common to add other liqueurs. The most commonly used, as we have seen, to accompany mulled wine is Brandy, but we can also add rum, or any fruit liqueur.
We have also found in Swedish recipes such original ideas as adding licorice syrup, or even the recipe for mulled wine with chocolate.
Do you want to prepare the most chocolaty version of this drink?
This version is made with fruity red wine, chopped bitter chocolate, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, cocoa powder, brown sugar, clementines and a sprig of rosemary.
And you, do you dare to prepare a delicious mulled or spiced wine at home to celebrate his day? Did you know this drink? If it has been interesting, remember to leave us your comments, ideas, opinions… We love to read you! You can also follow us on social networks to keep up to date with all our publications, you will find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
