How to Make Non-Alcoholic Mulled Wine

Mulled wine is one of the most popular drinks to help keep us stay warm on a cold evening. And the best part is that it’s really easy to make.

5-Minute Crafts found several recipes for non-alcoholic mulled wine that will help you keep warm and cozy on a cold day.

General recommendations

What juice to choose
The original taste of mulled wine is better achieved with red grapes. But you can also use different juices like cranberry, cherry, orange, pomegranate, or apple.
What spices to use
The most popular spices for mulled wine are cloves and cinnamon. Without them, the drink will lose its classic flavor. You can experiment with adding allspice, cardamom, star anise, nutmeg, ginger, and more. It’s better not to use ground spices, this will make the taste brighter.
What fruits to add
Traditionally, apples and oranges are used to make mulled wine. But it doesn’t mean you can’t use other fruits. Try pears, lemons, tangerines, cranberries, and raisins.
What to do if you want a sweeter drink
The mulled wine made of juice will have quite a lot of sugar. But if you still want a sweeter drink, you can add honey or natural citrus syrups.
An important rule — don’t boil!
When making mulled wine, you should never boil it. The best temperature to keep it at is 150°F-170°F. If you boil it, all the fruit will make the drink more like a compote.

Classic recipe

Ingredients (for 4 drinks):

1 liter of red grape juice
250 ml of water
1 apple
1 orange
1/2 of a lemon
Fresh ginger
3-5 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
3-4 peas of allspice
3 boxes of cardamom

Inventory:

A small pot
A knife
A cutting board
A small grater
A tablespoon
Glasses with handles

1. Pour some water into the pot and wait for it to heat up to about 150°F-170°F.

2. When the water is hot enough, add the spices: allspice, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon. Turn the stove down a bit to keep the water hot but don’t let it boil.

3. Cut ginger into small pieces and put it into the pot.

4. Wash the fruit. Remove the center from the apple and cut it into thin pieces. Cut the orange in circles.

5. Grind the lemon skin on a small grater.

6. Add juice, lemon peel, and the fruit into the water. Mix everything and heat the drink again.

7. Once the drink is hot enough, remove it from the stove, cover it with a lid, and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

8. Before serving, garnish the drink with pieces of fruit and cinnamon sticks.

Cranberry mulled wine

Ingredients (for 6 drinks):

1 liter of cranberry juice
500 ml of apple juice
200 ml of orange juice
50 grams of sugar
2 tangerines
a handful of cranberries
2 cinnamon sticks
5-6 cloves
2 star anise pieces
3 boxes of cardamom

Inventory:

A small metal dipper
A small pot
A knife
A cutting board
Glasses with a handle

1. Pour orange juice into the dipper and add sugar. Mix it and wait for the juice to become more like syrup.

2. Wash a tangerine and cut it into thin rings.

3. Pour the cranberries and apple juice into the pot, add all the spices, and start heating.

4. When the drink is at 150°F, turn the stove down and add cranberries and tangerines.

5. Heat up the drink a little for the fruit and cranberries to give away their juice and then remove the pot from the stove and let the drink rest for 15-20 minutes.

6. Before serving, pour the orange syrup into the glasses and then add the mulled wine on top.

7. Decorate the drink with spices and it’s good to go.