Slow Cooker Mulled Wine is a delicious hot wine that’s great for holiday parties! It’s the perfect drink for Christmas time, as it is full of Cabernet Sauvignon, brandy, honey, cranberries, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and other warm spices.
It’s easy to make in a large batch and serving in your crock pot makes it easy for guests to fill their own drinks, leaving you – the host – with more time to enjoy your holiday gatherings.
This is an easy slow cooker simple mulled wine recipe that will fill your home with warm mulling spices aroma. You and any of your guests will love sipping on this rich and sweet-flavored spice-filled wine.
If you need a festive drink that screams holiday season, then this is the best mulled wine recipe to make in the slow cooker, allowing the mulling spices to meld together while it warms for an hour.
Need another holiday warm drink? Make this classic Hot Buttered Rum drink to warm up on chilly days.
Why You’ll Love This Mulled Wine
- This mulled wine is a great drink to serve to friends and loved ones for any social holiday gathering. A great way to serve a larger crowd.
- A warm wine recipe that has whole cloves, fresh cranberries, oranges, and other whole spices. All mixed in the crock pot.
- This is a gorgeous drink to pour and serve with it’s stunning presentation.
- A festive cocktail that uses a bottle of red wine to dress it up in a whole new way.
- Budget-friendly drink that’s easy to serve in a large batch.
What is the Best Wine to Use for Mulled Wine?
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine needs a lucious red wine such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
These wines have a fruity or berry notes which blend perfectly with the warm spices.
How do you Heat Mulled Wine Without Losing Alcohol?
Keep the mulled wine on low heat. It should simmer, not bubble or boil.
A small amount of alcohol may burn off, but by keeping it on a low to medium heat, most alcohol in the wine will remain.
Kitchen Equipment Needed
- Cutting Board and Knife (for sliced oranges)
- Crock Pot
- Measuring Cup
- Tablespoon
- Ladle with a Pouring Spout
- Heatproof Glasses
Ingredients
RED WINE: Reach for a bottle of your favorite red wine. Whether it be a Merlot or a Cabernet Sauvignon you will use this as the base for this fruity red wine.
BRANDY: Quality Brandy is going to help elevate the flavor of this drink, and it will add depth and warmth for these cold winter months.
HONEY: Honey is used as a sweetener in homemade mulled wine. If you don’t have honey you can use maple syrup or granulated sugar.
CRANBERRIES: Frozen or fresh cranberries are tossed in as a pop of color but also add additional flavor to the traditional mulled wine.
ORANGES: The orange slices add a sweet and zesty balance to the cocktail.
WARM SPICES: Cinnamon sticks, star anise, and whole cloves are used as the seasonal spices for the recipe. It adds so much richness and showcases stunning presentations when poured into a glass and served at a Christmas party.
GARNISH: Frozen or fresh cranberries, star anise, large oranges that are sliced, and cinnamon sticks can be used to decorate the drinking glass.
How to Make Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
- Pour your wine into your slow cooker.
- Add Brandy, honey, orange slices, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves. Stir to mix.
- Cook on low heat for 1 hour.
- Turn down the temperature to the warm setting on your slow cooker.
- Use the ladle to dip and pour into your glasses.
- Garnish each glass with cinnamon sticks, star anise or an orange slice.
Tips
- Select a quality drinking red wine with bold fruity flavor such as a Merlot or Cabernet. It doesn’t need to be an expensive bottle, but at least mid-range bottle of wine.
- If you want more citrus fruits, you can add lemon peel as well.
- I recommend whole spices, not ground spices as they will not blend as well with the other ingredients.
- The honey or maple syrup is used to sweeten the cocktail drink. Use less or more to fit your preference for sweetness.
- Let the wine slightly cool before sipping.
Variations
- You can use cranberry juice, apple cider or orange juice added to the mixture for added fruity flavor.
- Toss in some thyme, rosemary sprigs, or even basil for a more for earthy flavor. Just remove it before you pour it into the drink.
- You can swap the Brandy with whisky or even rum for a twist in flavor.
- You can add a chai tea bag for a twist to the mulled wine recipe.
How to Prevent Mulled Wine from Getting too Strong or too Sweet
If you find your mulled wine is too strong in flavor, adding in some apple juice or cranberry juice will help tame down the alcohol content as well as the spices.
If it is too sweet add a bit more water or a little dry red wine to help balance out the sweetness.
It is very easy to adjust to fit your preference to serve up for your next holiday party.
What Sweeteners Can I Use Besides Honey or Maple Syrup?
You can use an agave nectar, which is a sweet syrup. Or use brown sugar or granulated sugar for sweetening this slow cooker mulled wine.
How to Store Leftovers
If you have leftover mulled wine you can store it in a sealed container in the fridge. The wine will last a few days in the fridge.
Or you can freeze in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Then thaw in the fridge until thawed and warm up in a large saucepan on the stove or even in the slow cooker again.
Slow cooker mulled wine is perfect for your Christmas party or any holiday season gathering. The slow cooker keeps the mulled wine warm and allows guests to easily serve themselves.
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine is a delicious hot wine that's great for holiday parties! It's the perfect drink for Christmas time, as it is full of Cabernet Sauvignon, brandy, honey, cranberries, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and other warm spices.
It's easy to make in a large batch and serving in your crock pot makes it easy for guests to fill their own drinks, leaving you - the host - with more time to enjoy your holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
- 2 Bottles Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
- 1/2 cup Brandy
- 1/3 cup Honey or Maple Syrup
- 1 cup Frozen or Fresh Cranberries
- 2 medium Oranges, sliced
- 6 Cinnamon Sticks
- 6 Star Anise
- 6 Whole Cloves
- Garnish: Frozen or Fresh Cranberries, Orange Slices, Cinnamon Stick
Instructions
- Pour your wine into your slow cooker.
- Add Brandy, honey, orange slices, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves. Stir to mix.
- Cook on low heat for 1 hour.
- Turn down the temperature to the warm setting on your slow cooker.
- Use a ladle with pouring spouts to dip and pour into your glasses.
- Let the mulled wine cool slightly if your glass doesn't have a handle (it will be too hot to hold), plus it needs to cool slightly before drinking.
- Garnish each glass with a cinnamon stick, star anise and/or an orange slice.
Notes
See recipe posts for tips and variations. Drink Responsibly.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 229Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 1g
Nutritional values are estimates and not exact.