Winter Warming – Amazing Mulled Wine Recipe with Maple Syrup!

TAG Level - Mulled Wine
TAG Level - Mulled Wine

The visions are so seasonal – cold weather outside, frosty trees, the chill abounds… but inside, a warm fire, good company and the drink that warms every soul – Mulled Wine!  This mulled wine recipe and technique comes from the family of one of our Editors, and is a huge hit with the crew here – we love it, and we’ve been enjoying it as we work through the colder evenings here. The Northern Europeans call it by a variety of names, but ‘glühwein’ is a common word for it, and it is an age-old tradition in many of the colder northern countries.

The ingredient list is quite small, and the simplicity of making this is one of its greatest attractions. The base, and perhaps the most profoundly important component, is red wine (as many bottles as required, depending on the number of people you will be serving). The remaining ingredients provide a cornucopia of spiced flavour and aroma that are both soothing and heartwarming – cinnamon sticks, cloves, some maple syrup to add a brilliant sweetness, and finished off with some ginger to give it a little heat and flair.

Mulled Wine is a perfect drink after any outdoor adventure in colder environments, whether fresh off the ski slopes, or just arriving back from a day out tobogganing – mulled wine will be a great treat.

 

Mulled Wine – What Makes it So Awesome

The simplicity of the ingredients list, not to mention the ease of putting it all together and making mulled wine, lends itself perfectly to serving any size of gathering. It can be left to simmer and stay warm, and the whole time the ingredients are adding more and more flavour to this awesome winter cocktail.

Flexibility is another great part of the mulled wine experience. This can even be made outdoors, all you need is a sufficient heat source, whether it is a fire, cook stove, or even a BBQ! That means that you can take most of what you need in a backpack or carry-all, and brew up a delicious warm cocktail right where your adventures are happening!

There is enormous latitude to play around with quantities, and use whatever artistic license

TAG Level - Mulled Wine - Cloves
TAG Level – Mulled Wine – Cloves

you can muster to develop the flavours mulled wine. There is no set amount that you must use of any single ingredient, and you can experiment until the flavour is “just right”. That said, in our experience, the ginger adds a lot of ‘heat’ to mulled wine, so would recommend adding it in small quantities until you get the flavour that make you smile! As well, if Maple Syrup isn’t a flavour you like, you can add sweetness by adding any of your favorites – honey, white or brown sugar, or anything you like!

Editor’s Tips

As we mentioned, this mulled wine recipe is a favorite from one of our Editor’s families, and comes with some great tips to make this version of mulled wine one of the best!

TAG Level - Mulled Wine - Orange Slices
TAG Level – Mulled Wine – Orange Slices

One thing that can be awkward when drinking such a spice filled, but yummy drink, is taking a sip and having a mouth full of cloves afterwards. To avoid this, and to add some serious artistic flair to the drink, we recommend pushing the whole cloves into the outer rind of the orange. This not only looks amazing, it keeps the cloves from floating around, and will keep them from being ‘sipped up’ by you or your guests!

With mulled wine, the trick is not to really boil the wine. Once you start boiling, the alcohol will evaporate, and you’ll also find yourself with a boiled mass inside. Ideally, you want to bring the mulled wine to a very low and soft bubble, just simmering with warmth, but not boiling aggressively at all. This will help maximize the aromas, and really activate the flavour of your mulled wine, while ensuring it still packs a punch!

What You Need – The Tools

This is probably one of the simplest things you could ever make – other than a good knife for cutting the oranges, a solid pot big enough for the number of guests you have, and perhaps a cork screw if you’ve chosen wine that has a cork in it – this is all you need. For an added bit of flair, festive serving cups always adds a nice touch! We recommend not using all-metal cups, as it can be awkward holding them when they are filled up with this spiced soul-soother! If you are serving outdoors, where metal cups may be necessary, then why not make it comfortable, and use some interesting serviettes/napkins to help them hold the handles in style!

Winter Warmer – Amazing Mulled Wine with Maple Syrup

A warming mix of amazing spices and wine, with a twist of citrus and maple syrup to sweeten the pallet – really amazing, and a great warmer after any outdoor adventures in frosty winter weather

This mulled wine recipe is so easy, and tastes and smells so fantastic! You will love it!

Ingredients

  • 2 Whole Oranges – Cut into slices
  • 1 Piece of Ginger (2 inches est.)
  • 4 Whole Cinnamon Sticks
  • 1 Tbsp Whole Cloves
  • 1 Bottle of Wine (750 ml)
  • 1/4 Cup of Maple Syrup

Directions

  1. Slice oranges into small slices, each thick enough to “plug” the whole cloves into
  2. Slice the ginger into sliver sized pieces
  3. Place the whole cloves into the rind/peel of the orange
  4. Combine the maple syrup and the wine into your pot (low heat – you want to bring this to bubble slowly)
  5. Add orange slices with clove plugs to the pot – Lightly squeeze the orange slices as you
    TAG Level - Maple Syrup
    TAG Level – Maple Syrup

    add them to release some of the juices

  6. Add the cinnamon sticks
  7. Add the ginger slices – you may even place these into a cheese cloth bag to remove them easily if you don’t want them to be poured into the cups.
  8. Simmer over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, to let all the flavours really blend into the mixture.

The aroma that this mulled wine recipe produces is amazing, and you will surely enjoy drinking it, and your home will smell fantastic!

We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do, and that it soothes and inspires your cool days and frosty winter evenings! For some other great cooking and lifestyle ideas, check out some of our other great ideas here.

Let us know your thoughts, and if you think this is as fantastic a version of mulled wine as we do!  To stay up-to-date on all our articles, tutorials, product ideas and inspirations – subscribe to our newsletter and stay in touch!

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