When the temps dip low and the frosty winds blow, this warming cinnamon orange spiced wine becomes the perfect winter companion. The cozy warmth of cinnamon, brandy, and brown sugar steal the show in this simple Christmas spiced wine recipe you can sip and serve as festive hot Christmas drinks through the holidays.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can make this easy spiced wine without a bag of specialty wine mulling spices. All you need is a handful of dry whole spices and ingredients to make your own without much fuss.
We recently had two back-to-back snowstorms here in Chicago that blanketed everything in snowy frost.
The fresh snow was literally so soft that all my attempts at building a snowman with my 8-year-old ended in powdery mounds all over the ground!
All this snowy wonderland weather makes me crave nothing more than a toasty, warm spiced hot wine. It makes perfectly cozy hot Christmas drinks to nestle up with by the fire, especially during the winter season.
It also doesn’t hurt that it makes the entire kitchen smell just like Christmas!
What Is Spiced Wine or mulled Wine?
It’s so easy to make your own spiced wine with spices you most likely have hanging out in your spice rack or pantry.
Traditionally, the idea of mulled beverages originated in the Middle Ages when people began combining whole spices in heated beverages to keep warm in the harshest winters.
These spices eventually made their way into wines and ciders.
When To Serve Holiday Christmas Spiced Wine Recipe:
- Serve this spiced wine recipe as a fall drink.
- This cozy and delicious mulled wine recipe can be enjoyed in the fall and all the way through the winter season. It’s great as a warming snow day cocktail!
- Serve this holiday spiced wine recipe as a festive hott Christmas drink.
- Pour this simple mulled wine recipe as a cozy Christmas fireside warmer throughout the winter. Dot with pomegranate seeds, or a handful of fresh cranberries.
- Garnish with red apple chunks, orange slices, and cinnamon sticks for a festive serving at your holiday party.
- Enjoy the cozy warming mix of brandied Christmas spiced wine while the kiddos sip that hot chocolate…
- Serve this recipe as a Thanksgiving spiced wine.
- All the warming spice flavors and fruity red wine notes make this a perfect Thanksgiving spiced wine too!
- Serve as a festive warming cocktail before the meal or right alongside those tasty appetizers.
* A great way to keep this hot for guests is to use a hot beverage dispenser to keep it hot right on the buffet table. Set a bowl with citrus fruits and garnishes to self serve nearby.
*If needed, this recipe can be easily doubled for more guests.
Traditional Mulled Wine Spices Usually Include:
- cinnamon
- clove
- nutmeg
- allspice
- brown sugar
How To Make Easy HOt Christmas Drinks with spiced wine
Any grocery store wine selection or familiar brand will work fine: An inexpensive red blend wine, a Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz, this easy Cabernet Sauvignon is good and budget-friendly for a batch drink like this one along with this inexpensive red blend as well.
Remember we’re gonna dress it up with flavors and turn it into a hot cocktail, so keep the good stuff and pour it with your holiday dinner later on.
Add Fresh Sliced Orange to your spiced wine
Simmer & Steep the spiced wine mixture
It really makes a cozy and delicious fireside cocktail that reminds of you of that hot spiced wine they serve at the Christmas markets!
Here in Chicago we usually visit the Christkindlmarket right around the holidays. Every time I sip a festive mug of their German Glühwein, I’m reminded all over again why I love hot spiced wine so much! It just tastes like a cup of warm Christmas cheer.
Tipsy Tips:
- You could also use a spiced rum, apple brandy (such as calvados), vanilla brandy, or cherry brandy. Any of these would make delicious additions to this easy mulled wine recipe.
- In place of brown sugar, you could also try other sweeteners such as plain granulated sugar, honey, agave nectar, or even maple syrup.
- If you’re not sure how much of your sweetener to use, start with a 1/4 cup and take it from there. Taste every time you add a bit until the sweetness is just right.
If you’re really loving seasonal cozy sippers, try a fireball apple cider cocktail or a simple simmered cider hot Christmas drinks with bourbon!
Easy Christmas Spiced Wine for Cozy Hot Christmas Drinks
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Dry Red Wine
- 1/4 cup Brandy - or good Spiced Rum – 1/4 cup to a 1/2 cup to taste as desired
- 4 pods Star Anise - whole spice
- 4 whole Cinnamon Sticks - whole spice
- 1 tsp Whole Cloves - whole spice
- 1 tsp Allspice Berries - whole spice
- 1 half of a whole Fresh Orange - Sliced into half moons and tossed in
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar - or more to sweeten to desired taste – stir in while hot
Instructions
- Empty a bottle of red wine into a medium pot and toss in star anise, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. If desired, use a citrus press to juice an orange and set the juice aside for later. Separately cut a second orange into quarters/slices and toss into the pot with wine and spices.
- On medium heat, bring everything to a light simmer. When liquid just barely reaches a simmer, cover and turn heat down to low. Do not boil. Set a timer for 10 minutes on low and steep everything on low for 10 minutes.
- When steeping time is up, remove the cover and run everything through a strainer or remove the whole spices/orange slices with a slotted spoon. Return the hot wine to the same pot.
- Stir or whisk in brown sugar, brandy or spiced rum and reserved orange juice. Serve warm and garnish with a cinnamon stick, apple slices, or orange slices. Enjoy hot on a cold day.
