Gluhwein, or Mulled Wine, is a hot, spiced wine drink in which red wine is simmered with sugar, orange, and warming spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and star anise. The result is a warm and cozy drink that is fragrant, perfectly sweet, and full of flavor.
This German mulled wine recipe is easy to make, and it smells and tastes like the holidays!
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On a cold winter evening, there is nothing better than curling up in front of the fireplace with a warm cup of Mulled Wine.
The credit for this recipe goes to my hubby's German colleagues from grad school days. Also known as Gluhwein or Gluwein, Mulled wine is a traditional European drink served during the winters, particularly around Christmas.
This recipe is my take on Gluhwein. It's warm, perfectly spiced, and has a touch of sweetness. And like many good things, this crowd-pleaser is made in the Instant pot in just 15-20 minutes!
I love using the Instant Pot to make mulled wine, simply because I can maintain a consistent mild heat on the Saute setting, without having to monitor it continuously like I would on the stove. Plus, I can keep it warm for my guests using the 'keep warm' setting.
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What is Mulled Wine?
Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, hot wine, or Gluhwein is a festive drink made up of red wine that's simmered with whole spices, sugar, and citrus.
It's sometimes served as-is but is often served spiked with another liquor such as rum, bourbon, or Grand Marnier.
What kind of wine is best for mulled wine? Traditionally, mulled wine is made with red wine. I like to use a full-bodied red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, or Syrah, but any fruity, full-bodied red wine will work. Use a relatively inexpensive variety of wine though, since its flavor gets modified.
How to Make Mulled Wine
This cozy drink comes together with 6-7 ingredients, and chances are that you might have most of them at home. Let's take a look at what we need:
Ingredients- Notes & Substitutions
- Orange: you will use the juice and peel from one medium orange. Pick a ripe orange which adds natural sweetness to the drink.
- Water and Sugar: makes up a simple syrup which is used to add a touch of sweetness to the wine.
- Spices: you'll use cinnamon, cloves, and star Anise to infuse the mulled wine with flavor.
- Red Wine: any full-bodied red wine works great. I like to use cabernet sauvignon. Learn more on this in the section above.
- Liquor: if you want to kick the flavors up a notch, you can add a shot of dark rum, whiskey, bourbon, or Grand Marnier (my favorite.)
Quantity Tip: One bottle of wine will yield about 5 cups of mulled wine. I usually account for 2 cups per person when making this recipe.
Step by Step Directions
Here's how to make mulled wine in just 20 minutes:
Prep the orange: Peel the orange and save the peels. Pierce the cloves into the orange peel, then extract the juice from the orange.
Make simple syrup: Turn on the Instant Pot. Select Saute and adjust to high. Add sugar and water, and stir until the sugar dissolves. (pic 1)
Combine and simmer: Adjust the Saute setting to low, then add the orange juice, orange peels, and whole spices. Simmer for 2 minutes. (pic 2)
Add the wine: Add the wine and let it steam for 4-6 minutes. Cancel Saute and turn on the "keep warm" mode. (pic 3 & 4)
Don't overcook the spices: You want to allow time for the spices to infuse into the wine, but if you leave them too long those flavors can start to overtake the flavor of the wine.
Serve: Pour the prepped wine into mugs for serving, add the liquor if using, and garnish with orange slices and cinnamon sticks.
Use Gentle Heat: Use a low heat setting for this recipe as high heat will cook the alcohol out and will cause the wine to become bitter.
Alternative Method: Stovetop Mulled Wine
If you don't have an instant pot, you can easily make mulled wine on the stove. Simply follow the same instructions in a saucepan on low heat.
Note: If you are making this on the stove, be sure to watch it carefully so as not to overheat the wine.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this mulled wine in glass mugs so you can see the color. However, any mugs you have will work! I also love to brighten the mugs up with garnishes like orange slices, cinnamon sticks, or fresh cranberries.
This drink is the perfect beverage to serve at holiday parties with a spread of festive appetizers. Here are a few of my favorites:
How to Store
Leftover mulled wine will last in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. To rewarm, microwave or heat on low on the stove.
Tips for Mulled Wine
- Use whole spices. Ground spices will cloud the wine and are very difficult to strain out. Whole spices infuse the wine with flavor but are easy to fish out when you're ready to serve.
- Pierce the orange. I recommend piercing the orange peel with the cloves so they're easy to remove. Alternatively, you can use a spice cloth or cheese cloth to keep the cloves and star anise together so they can be easily fished out before serving.
- Heat on low. High heat will cook the alcohol out and will cause the wine to become bitter.
- Don't over-cook. You want to allow time for the spices to infuse into the wine, but if you leave them too long those flavors can start to overtake the flavor of the wine.
- Double the recipe. You can easily double this recipe if you're serving a crowd. Simply double the recipe ingredients and cook as instructed. Just make sure to use the same type of wine.
- For an even sweeter mulled wine, toss in sliced apple or a splash of apple cider.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mulled wine is made using regular wine. While wine is its own drink, mulled wine is made with red wine as the base then simmered with spices, citrus, and sweeteners.
Mulled wine is about as alcoholic as the wine you're using to make it. Since we're heating the wine on low, we're not cooking the alcohol out.
Yes! Gluhwein and mulled wine are just different ways of referring to the same drink.
You can't pressure cook with alcohol in the instant pot, but you can use the SAUTE setting, which is what we're doing for this recipe. Make sure you heat the wine on LOW. Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water so you really have to watch the heat.
Boiling mulled wine can cook out the alcohol and cause the wine to lose some of its flavors.
You can keep the mulled wine warm by changing the instant pot setting to u0022Keep Warm.u0022 If you do this, I recommend taking the spices and aromatics out. If you let them sit in the wine too long, they will overtake the flavor of the wine and the taste can become bitter.
More Easy Cocktail Recipes
These recipes are part of the Cocktail Recipes collection.
📖 Recipe
Mulled Wine Recipe | Gluhwein
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ medium orange
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon Stick
- 10 cloves
- 1 star Anise
- 750 ml red wine : 1 bottle of preferably cabernet sauvignon
- 1½ oz rum or Grand Marnier: optional
Instructions
- Peel a medium size orange and save the peels. Pierce the cloves into one or more of the orange peels and set aside. Extract the juice from the orange and keep aside. Optionally, you can strain it to avoid any citrus fibers in the drink.
- Turn on the Instant pot and select Saute on high. Add sugar and water and stir well. Bring the water to a boil and heat until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Reduce the Saute setting to LOW. Add orange juice, orange peels, cinnamon, star anise, and the orange peels with cloves in it. Simmer for 2 minutes
- Add red wine and let it steam, not boil. Takes between 4-6 minutes, depending on the size of the pot.
- Hit Cancel and Turn on 'Keep warm' mode. This will keep the Mulled wine at a nice warm temperature for the evening. Add the rum or grand marnier just before serving.
Stovetop Recipe
- Follow the same instructions in a deep saucepan. Keep the heat on low to make sure that once the wine is added, it does not boil.
Video
Notes
- Use whole spices. Ground spices will cloud the wine and are very difficult to strain out. Whole spices infuse the wine with flavor but are easy to fish out when you're ready to serve.
- Pierce the orange. I recommend piercing the orange peel with the cloves so they're easy to remove. Alternatively, you can use a spice cloth or cheesecloth to keep the cloves and star anise together so they can be easily fished out before serving.
- Heat on low. High heat will cook the alcohol out and will cause the wine to become bitter.
- Don't over-cook. You want to allow time for the spices to infuse into the wine, but if you leave them too long those flavors can start to overtake the flavor of the wine.
- Double the recipe. You can easily double this recipe if you're serving a crowd. Simply double the recipe ingredients and cook as instructed. Just make sure to use the same type of wine.
- For an even sweeter mulled wine, toss in sliced apple or a splash of apple cider.
Reena says
You will not find a better recipe! I just made this for our neighborhood Christmas lighting party. It was ready in minutes. Do add the Grand Mariner at the end. Everyone at the party is now asking for this recipe!!!
Aneesha says
Hi Reena, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind words. Wish you a Happy Holiday Season!