Mulled Wine & Spiced Holiday Drinks

The winter season provides a perfect excuse to make some spiced drinks, including mulled wine, at home. Many of the spices popular in holiday baked goods – such as clove, ginger, and nutmeg – also bring fantastic flavor to holiday drinks.

Whether you’re looking for a festive beverage to serve at a holiday gathering, or just want to cozy up with a good book and get warm, the spiced holiday drinks below will do the trick.

Mulled Wine

While red wine is wonderful on its own and as an addition to many drinks, one of the best ways to enjoy this wine when the temperatures drop is mulled, as the spiced flavor not only tastes great but serves to warm you up as well.

Don’t be intimidated if you’ve never made mulled wine before. This drink is extremely simple to make, only requiring you to heat red wine with some mulling spices. In addition,  you don’t need an expensive bottle of red wine for this drink to taste good. Even better? As the wine steeps with the spices, your house will be filled with a warm and lovely holiday scent!

Mulled wine is prepared a bit differently in different countries. For example, in Germany mulled wine is called Glühwein and it is occasionally made with fruit wine. In Scandinavia it’s called Glögg and is typically served with a spiced cookie or cake. In Quebec, maple syrup and hard liquor are mixed in and it’s called Caribou. No matter how it’s made or what it’s served with, mulled wine is one winter holiday drink you want to be sure to make.

If you need a recipe, take it from us! This mulled wine recipe is perfect to get you started and is one you’re sure to love.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle heavy red wine, like merlot
• 1 cup rum (optional)
• 1/42cup sugar (or more), to taste.

for mulling spices:

• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise
• 4 whole nutmegs
• 10 cardamom pods
• 2 tbsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp allspice berries
• 1 tbsp cloves

Directions: 

First, combine the cider, wine, honey, cinnamon sticks, zest, juice, cloves, and star anise in a large saucepan. Next, bring to a boil. Lastly, simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Pour into mugs, add an orange peel to each, and serve.

Other Spiced Holiday Drinks to Try 

In addition to mulled wine, the three spiced holiday drinks below are perfect for holiday celebrations, as well as for treating yourself to a special (and well-deserved) beverage.

PDT’s Gingerbread Man Recipe – King’s Ginger, a strong scotch-based ginger liqueur, is used in this cocktail to provide deep flavor, along with molasses, rum, and allspice bitters.

Scotch Regency Punch – Cardamom and scotch blend together beautifully to provide a delicious holiday punch. For this drink, you’ll make cardamom simple syrup and mix it with a bottle of blended scotch, fresh lemon, and soda water.

Jalisco Pear – Silver tequila, pear liqueur, allspice dram, and lemon combine to create a cocktail you’re sure to want to make again and again.

These holiday drinks are guaranteed to get you into the spirit of the season and make the cold weather much more appealing! Our team at Blue Plate wishes you a joyful holiday season and a cozy winter!