Slow Cooker Mulled Wine ~ this warming winter cocktail scents the whole house, and guests can help themselves! Let’s get this party started!
Steamy hot mulled wine has been warming cold hands and whipping up holiday spirit for centuries. I’ve just been waiting for the temperatures to drop a bit to share this recipe with you — I think you’re going to love this easy, slow cooker method. When our kids were young I always made spiced cider in the slow cooker for holiday parties. Everybody would wander in to the kitchen and fill their mugs. Now that my kids are of legal age, we’re upping the ante, and mulling wine. Some of my favorite alcoholic drinks are served hot, but most of them are after dinner deals. I love this because it starts party off. In fact it’s the perfect way to start almost any fall or winter gathering. Everybody can fill up their own mug or paper cup and mingle. Ladle it into thermoses for tailgating and other outdoor events.
There are so many variations on this drink, but basically it consists of red wine, sweetened just a little bit, and mulled, or steeped, with spices and fruit. Sometimes it’s ‘enriched’ with a little brandy. All you really have to do is warm it up, let it hang out for a bit, and serve. For harvest celebrations, I’d do the spices along with clementines, but for the winter holidays I like to use fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Traditional European recipes call for raisins, so it wouldn’t be out of place to use dried cranberries, too.
You can serve the wine in paper cups, mugs, or glasses, but because the wine is hot, I like to fit the glasses with knitted cuffs. I make them out of old socks or the sleeves of thrift store sweaters. You can use your cozies for all kinds of hot drinks like coffee, tea, Irish coffee type drinks, and cocoas too. Here’s an easy tutorial on how to make these sock cozies.
The crock pot method is perfect for making mulled wine because the low even temperature will insure that the wine doesn’t boil, and you can make it and forget it just before your guests arrive.
This is a recipe that you can feel confident in adjusting to your taste. Use whatever red wine you like, leave out spices you don’t like, add more of those you do. You can use honey in place of sugar. Play with it, taste as you go, and make it your own.
Reader Rave ~
“Just want to say I make this every year for the past 3 or 4 years and everyone loves it! I make it early in the day and it lasts for hours and makes the house smell great. Thank you for sharing!!” ~Liz
Ingredients
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp whole allspice berries
- 4 star anise
- 1/2 tsp whole cloves
- 5 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed with the back of a spoon to expose the seeds
- 1/2 vanilla bean, slit down the center (if you save pods this is a good time to reuse one)
- a good grating of fresh nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp)
- 8 clementines, cut in half (remove any seeds)
- garnish each glass with a cinnamon stick and a star anise
- switch out the clementines for 1/2 cup cranberry juice and 1/2 cup whole fresh cranberries
- add 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- garnish each glass with a sprig of rosemary and a few cranberries
Instructions
- Put the water and sugar in the crock pot and turn on high. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Juice 4 of the clementines and add to the pot.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and heat until the wine just gets to a simmer. Then turn the dial to the 'keep warm' setting and let it sit for about 30 minutes before serving.
- You can strain the wine before serving, or not.
- For the Holiday version, the process is the same, omit the clementines and use cranberries and rosemary.
Notes
You can double the recipe, but the actual whole spices don't have to be doubled.
Don’t forget to pin this Slow Cooker Mulled Wine!
39 Comments
Liz
December 14, 2018 at 11:16 amJust want to say I make this every year for the past 3 or 4 years and everyone loves it! I make it early in the day and it lasts for hours and makes the house smell great. Thank you for sharing!!
Sue
December 14, 2018 at 11:56 amOh thanks so much for letting me know Liz, I’m gearing up to make it here this coming week!
Gene
December 11, 2018 at 6:40 amThank you for this recipe! I’m anxious to try it!
I’m curious if this will turn bitter after some time in the slow cooker. Do you have an idea how long it will stay tasting good in the slow cooker?
Thank you!
Lori
November 17, 2018 at 7:13 pmAbsolutely delicious! I made a couple edits/additions. 1/4 C blackberry Brandy instead of regular brandy, 1 full orange peeled and sliced + about 1/4 tsp of the zest instead of the clementines. Seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate and the 1/2c cranberries to the regular full recipe. Thank you, this will be PERFECT for our holiday party. Oh, and I couldn’t find the cardamom pods so I used approx 60 seeds.
Sue
November 18, 2018 at 4:27 amI’m going to make mu first batch of the season this week, can’t wait. Love your alterations :)
John
November 15, 2018 at 1:46 amCould you use bourbon or whiskey in place of the Brandy?
Sue
November 15, 2018 at 4:53 amSure, if you like the flavor you can use anything you like.
Ramona
November 15, 2017 at 3:30 pmDo you have to have all the spices whole? I can’t get whole cardomom pods where I live only the ground spice. Same with the nutmeg. Will those already ground still work in the mix?
Sue
November 15, 2017 at 3:56 pmI think that should be fine, but don’t add too much, you don’t want to cloud the wine with ground spice. Add a little and go by taste. And remember you can always buy whole spices online, and I think it’s really worth it, they last a long time, too. Good luck and happy holidays :)
Ross Simmonds
December 3, 2016 at 3:26 pmThe instruction say to juice 4 of the clementines. What do you suggest with the other 4? I quartered mine!?!?
Sue
December 3, 2016 at 4:05 pmHi Ross! In the ingredient list it says to halve all the clementines, and I left the unjuiced ones that way, they look really pretty floating in the wine.
Debi Merrill
January 5, 2017 at 8:57 amStill need that clozy instructions! Please?
Sue
January 5, 2017 at 9:42 amThere’s a link to the tutorial in the post, above, Debi, but here’s the link again: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/craft-tutorial-sock-drink-cozies/
Enjoy!
Katie T
December 17, 2015 at 1:46 pmHello, my name is Katie and I work for a magazine in Birmingham, Alabama. I’m working on an online blog post about Warm Winter Beverages and I came across your Holiday Mulled Wine recipe above. I was wondering if I could include the photo in the blog post and link back to your site. Thanks so much!
Sue
December 17, 2015 at 1:51 pmOf course, Katie, thanks for asking!
Natasha
December 8, 2015 at 6:34 amIs there a specific type of wine you suggest using?
Sue
December 8, 2015 at 7:23 amIt can really be any red wine you like, Natasha, but you might start with a Cabernet, Zinfandel, or Merlot.
Ashleigh Johnston
October 23, 2015 at 11:44 amHi! I’d like to republish this amazing recipe in my winter newsletter for a non profit lake association. Can I do so with proper credit to the author and the photographer?
drop me a line at ashleigh.johnston@gmail.com
I’d love to hear from you,
Ash
Kerry
November 5, 2014 at 6:09 amI love to leave the oranges in and add the cranberries! I love these photos, makes me excited to serve mulled wine for the holidays!
Sue
November 5, 2014 at 9:04 amI agree, the more fruit the better!
Liz+@+Floating+Kitchen
November 3, 2014 at 6:53 amLove those little knitted cuffs! And loving that this is all done in the slow cooker. I wish I had a mug right now to wrap my chilly hands around!
Heather // girlichef
November 3, 2014 at 5:15 amI love the mulled wine, but I’m totally smitten with those cozies!
Sue
November 3, 2014 at 6:06 amThanks Heather — I will do the tutorial this week, promise!
ATasteOfMadness
November 2, 2014 at 3:05 pmThe slow cooker recipes are coming out, and it is making me wish I didn’t leave mine behind when I moved :( This looks so good!
Sue
November 2, 2014 at 3:16 pmI did the same thing, twice! But each time I caved in and bought another one…I think you’ll have to, too :)
Dan
November 2, 2014 at 12:12 pmLooking forward to trying this for Thanksgiving. If you decide not to post the instructions on how to make the knitted cuffs, I would love for you to send me the instructions! ???? Thanks for the post.
Erica
November 2, 2014 at 6:17 amWhat a delicious drink for the holidays……and your pictures are AMAZING!
Sue
November 2, 2014 at 11:12 amThanks Erica!
heather+@french+press
November 1, 2014 at 9:30 amabsolutely gorgeous pictures – and I;m sure it is equally as delicous
genevieve @ gratitude & greens
November 1, 2014 at 9:00 amYour sleeves are adorable! I love mulled wine, it’s probably one of my favourite things about the fall and winter seasons. I’ve never tried to make it in a slow cooker, though. Yum!
Lauren kelly Nutrition
November 1, 2014 at 8:20 amI wish I had one of these right now!
Laura+(Tutti+Dolci)
October 31, 2014 at 11:50 amI can only imagine how incredible your kitchen must have smelled while making this – love the spices and fresh citrus!
Sue
October 31, 2014 at 2:07 pmIt really does scent the entire house!
Andrea+@+Cooking+with+Mamma+C
October 31, 2014 at 11:43 amI’m so happy you posted this! The last time I had mulled wine was when I visited Belgium in December 2010. My Nonna also used to make something like this and give it to me when I was sick. I have my husband’s homemade wine to use and can’t wait to try this in the slow cooker!
Sue
October 31, 2014 at 1:58 pmI’m so glad you’re going to try it, Andrea— and how lucky you are to have a husband who makes wine!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
October 31, 2014 at 9:47 amLOVE this recipe! I made mulled wine once and everybody hated it – I think I used the wrong wine but oh well. I remember in my younger days – snow skiing in Colorado. I would get off the lift at the top and have a nice warm spiced wine before getting the courage to go downhill. Liquid courage – absolutely! Can’t wait to try this – and it makes me want to have company!
Sue
October 31, 2014 at 10:28 amThe first time I tried it I didn’t like it, I didn’t add the sugar because I don’t like sweet wine, but I think the sugar makes a big difference, and the fruit helps, too.
Sippitysup
October 31, 2014 at 9:47 amI don’t have a slow cooker but I’ve often thought this would be the perfect use for one, and you’ve proven it so. GREG
Sue
October 31, 2014 at 10:29 amThanks Greg!