Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

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Slow Cooker Mulled Wine is the perfect holiday party drink. It’s warm, cozy and has all the flavors of the holiday season.

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I first had slow cooker mulled wine at my friend’s parent’s house, so many years ago. They hosted a Christmas Eve party every year and served the most amazing food, Christmas cookies and always had a warm spiced wine that you spooned into mugs with a ladle from the crock pot.

That started my holiday tradition of mulled wine. It tastes just like Christmas with the cranberries, oranges, spices and it’s so warming on a cold night. So cozy and so perfect for a party! It’s easy, inexpensive, and makes a lot of servings. This recipe can be doubled or tripled, depending on how many you are expecting.

What is Mulled Wine?

Mulled wine dates back ages! It is said that the Romans warmed red wine to help fend off sickness and the warm spiced drink grew in popularity across Europe. There are so many variations on this festive drink, depending on what country it’s from. Mulled wine is also known as glühwein, vin brulé, or glögg- just to name a few. This recipe is only one variation.

Mulled wine is red wine heated with fruit and spices. It’s sweet, smoky, tart, fruity and served warm. It’s the perfect holiday drink!

What you’ll need

• A 7-8 quart slow cooker
• Heat proof mugs or glasses
• Red wine– any dry wine works such as merlot, cabernet, pinot or a red blend. Don’t go for a sweet red because with the additions the wine can become overly sweet. We are looking for a nice sweet and tart balance. No need to splurge on this one, an inexpensive bottle is just right.
• Apple cider– perfect because it’s so readily available this time of year. You can also use unfiltered apple juice. It give the wine the perfect sweetness.
• Honey– for a touch more sweetness. Can be substituted for real maple syrup.
• White rum– to round it out. I’ve also seen Port, Brandy, or Cointreau used.
• Spices– for that warm flavor that is so synonymous with the holiday season. We’ll use cinnamon sticks and star anise. I like to buy star anise in bulk on Amazon for the best price!
• Orange slices– for a hint of citrus. You can also add apple slices.
• Fresh cranberries– tis the season!

How to make Mulled Wine

It’s so simple, you can prepare this in 5 minutes and just let it do it’s thing.

1. Combine all of the ingredients into a slow cooker.
2. Slow Cook on low for 2 hours. Switch the slow cooker to the warm setting for serving.
3. Strain– if desired. The spices, oranges, and cranberries can be strained out or leave them in- totally up to you!
4. Serve– ladle into cups and garnish with orange or apple slices and cinnamon sticks. This is a perfect serve yourself situation. Set up a drink area with the mulled wine in the slow cooker and a ladle for serving. Have heat proof mugs or glasses next to the wine and extra garnishes available.

Tips and Suggestions

• Double or triple this recipe for a large batch.
• Use your favorite dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot, Syrah, or a red blend. You don’t want to use a sweet wine or the mulled wine will be overly sweet.
• Substitute the honey with sugar or real maple syrup.
• Substitute the rum with dark rum, Cointreau, Port, or Brandy.
• Prepare mulled wine on the stove top instead of the slow cooker. Add all ingredients to a large pot over medium heat. Do not let it boil. After it’s warmed, turn to low and simmer up to 3 hours. (Boiling could cook off the alcohol).
• If desired, strain the fruit and spices from the mulled wine with a fine mesh strainer.
• Substitute the apple cider for apple juice (do not mistake it for apple cider vinegar, you do not want to use vinegar)

You might also like:

Crock Pot Apple Cider

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Crock Pot Chocolate Cake

If you love slow cooker recipes, check out my Crock Pot E-Cookbook available for purchase!