Infused with homemade mulling spices, Mulled Cider is a perfect drink to serve at a festive party or on any cozy evening! It fills your home with a rich, spicy aroma that is as warm and welcoming as the drink itself. You can make it with or without wine.
I was first introduced to mulled drinks a couple of years ago at a festive gathering hosted by our team member Naomi and her husband Scott. There, I experienced the comforting warmth of their homemade mulled apple beverage, a taste I’ll never forget.
The following year, when we hosted a Christmas get-together at our house, Scott brought over all the ingredients and showed me how to make it. In our home, we now call this mulled drink ‘Scott’s holiday drink’.
Inspired by this, I began creating my own homemade mulling spices and mulled cider, filling my home with delightful aromas. The best part? This recipe can be enjoyed with or without alcohol or wine for those who prefer a non-alcoholic option.
Table of Contents
What is Mulled Cider
Hot mulled cider is a versatile drink, perfect for the fall and holiday seasons. It’s apple cider infused with a delightful blend of fall or holiday spices like cinnamon and cloves. The warm, spiced, cozy flavor is a favorite for many. You can also use pressed apple juice instead of apple cider, giving you the freedom to experiment and find your perfect blend.
It’s important to note the distinction between hot mulled cider and its alcoholic counterpart, mulled wine—also called warm sangria. While both are infused with mulling spices, the mulled wine recipe includes a full bottle of red wine and often incorporates orange and/or apples, sugar or honey, and liquors such as brandy, cognac, rum, and vodka. On the other hand, hot mulled cider is typically the non-alcoholic version, perfect for cozy evenings.
Why We Love This Recipe
- A comforting and festive drink. This beverage is warm, naturally sweet, and mildly spiced, making it perfect for holiday entertaining.
- A quick and easy drink to make. Just add the ingredients together and let it simmer for 10 minutes!
- Can be made in advance.
Adding Wine to Mulled Cider
Scott adds wine to his holiday drink, and I love how wine gives it a nice, bold, deep flavor that apple cider doesn’t have. As I’m not a huge alcoholic drinker myself, mulled wine is a bit too much to handle; however, this hot mulled cider with the addition of wine is perfect for me.
So, for adults, try adding some wine. I usually add 1 cup (240 ml) of wine per ½ gallon (2 QT or 2 L) of apple cider. If you prefer more alcohol, gradually increase the wine to 2 cups.
Types of Wine – A medium-priced (<$20) bottle of your favorite red wine would do. I use Malbec, which has rich and fruity flavors, pairing well with holiday spices. Many people recommend different wines: Zinfandel, Syrah/Shiraz, Merlot, Grenache, etc. So, go with what you enjoy since you will only use 1-2 cups. (240-480 ml).
Which Type of Apple Cider
Apple cider is the most essential ingredient for excellent hot mulled cider (of course!). You will need fresh apple cider with no added sugar or spices. Look for cloudy or unfiltered apple cider in the refrigerator section of the store.
DO NOT get “spiced” apple cider or Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider for this recipe.
Scott uses pressed apple juice for his holiday drink, and his recommendation is TreeTop’s pure pressed 100% apple juice, which is also cloudy and unfiltered.
Mulling Spices: What You’ll Need
My first mix of mulling spices was a jar from Target that Scott left me. Unfortunately, they no longer carry it. So, I had to look for alternatives. I bought a few brands of mulling spices (which were already mixes of spices) and added individual spices to create my own blend. I learned that all the store-bought mulling spices contained the four must-have spices in their blends.
Must-Have Spices
- Allspice berries,
- Cinnamon sticks
- Dried orange peels
- Whole cloves
Add-On Spices
- Cardamom pods – Highly recommend it!
- Star anise – Highly recommend it!
- Peppercorns
- Whole nutmeg
Shortcut for Making Mulling Spices
You can purchase premade mulling spice to avoid buying individual spices to make your own mulling spice, but I suggest adding my two recommendations (listed above).
The mulling spice mix I recommend comes in a bag or jar like those shown above. If you buy these premade mulling spices, you can add cardamom pods and star anise—the two additional recommended spices.
Bonus: Make A Big Batch and Gift Your Friends and Family!
These Homemade Mulling Spices make a great holiday gift. This recipe yields three 4-oz jars, each containing 6 tablespoons of mulling spices.
You can write the instructions for preparing mulled cider or mulled wine on a craft tag for a nice finishing touch. Secure it with red and white baker’s twine or a holiday-themed ribbon. This mulling mix smells so good that you may want to make a few sachets or spice bags (using cheesecloth) to strategically hang over the holidays.
How to Make Mulled Cider
You can find the full printable/written recipe with step-by-step pictures in the Recipe Card below.
- Put the fresh apple cider (or apple juice), spices (either loose or in a cheesecloth), and wine (if desired) in a large saucepan.
- Bring it to a gentle simmer and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, strain if you used loose spices, and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Use whole or crushed spices instead of powdered spices to prevent the drink from becoming cloudy during simmering.
- Heat the mulled cider in a French/Dutch oven for a beautiful presentation and excellent heat retention. A slow cooker (crock pot) is also suitable.
- Warm the mixture slowly; ensure it simmers gently without boiling.
- You can also enhance the presentation and flavor by adding orange slices for citrus hints.
- Try adding dried cranberries or a splash of cranberry juice for additional flavor.
- Serve the drink with a cinnamon stick for garnish or candied lemon peel for an extra touch.
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Mulled Cider (With Wine) and Homemade Mulling Spices
Ingredients
- 2 QT fresh apple cider (½ gallon, 8 cups; must be unfiltered/cloudy and refrigerated; you can also use unfiltered apple juice; do not use sparkling cider or clear apple juice)
- 2 Tbsp mulling spices (homemade recipe below; 2 Tbsp of mulling spices per 2 QT of fresh apple cider)
- 1 orange
- 1 cup red wine (optional; increase the amount as you like)
- 4 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks (optional; for garnish)
For the Homemade Mulling Spices
- 8 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks (25 g)
- ¼ cup whole cloves
- ¼ cup allspice berries
- ⅓ cup dried orange peel
- 2 Tbsp star anise (6 pieces; 1 inch, 2.5 cm per piece)
- 2 Tbsp cardamom pods
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. For the best results, read more about apple cider (or unfiltured apple juice) and red wine in the blog post.
- Add 2 QT fresh apple cider (or unfiltered apple juice) to a 4-QT Dutch oven or large pot.
- To the pot, add 2 Tbsp mulling spices (see the instructions at the end of the recipe for how to blend the mulling spices). You can also use a tea bag or cheesecloth to keep the spices together for easy removal later.
- Cut 1 orange into thin slices and add them to the pot.
To Make the Kid-Friendly, Non-Alcoholic Version
- Bring it to a simmer over low heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.
To Make the Alcoholic Version
- Add 1 cup red wine either at the beginning (that‘s what I do) or at the end (so that the alcohol doesn’t evaporate too much).
- Bring it to a simmer over low heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.
To Serve
- Ladle the Mulled Cider into cups or mugs, straining out the spices with a fine-mesh strainer. Garnish each cup with an orange slice and one of the 4 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks and serve hot.
To Make Ahead
- Mulled cider can be made 2 hours ahead; cover and store at room temperature, or chill up to 3 days. Reheat over medium-low heat before serving.
To Blend the Mulling Spices
- Gather the spices. In this recipe, we use 8 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, ¼ cup whole cloves, ¼ cup allspice berries, ⅓ cup dried orange peel, 2 Tbsp star anise, and 2 Tbsp cardamom pods. You can add nutmeg and peppercorn if you‘d like. Read more about these spices in the blog post.
- To break up the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and star anise, put them in a large Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- You can use a pestle and mortar, too. Once broken up, transfer to a large bowl (I use a mortar and a pestle).
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.
- Stir to combine and divide evenly into 3 sealable jars while mixing the ingredients as some spices tend to settle at the bottom of the bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to one year.
Thank you for showing your recipe!! My husband and I enjoyed this version of mulled wine because we both didn’t drink red wine but this is the best!
Hello there! We’re so glad you loved this!
Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and for your kind feedback! Cheers!🍷
Mines had a slightly bitter aftertaste from what I suspect is the pith, is there a way to avoid this? Otherwise absolutely delicious and heartwarming
Hi Neris! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Did you make your own spices? If this is the case, you can reduce the amount of the spice you don’t like. Whole cloves, for example.
We hope this was helpful!
How would you alter the recipe to make mulled wine? Would you just reduce the amount of apple cider by the volume of a whole bottle of wine? Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hello, Karen! Thank you so much for taking the time to read Nami’s post.
Yes. You can do it as well.
You can also leave out the apple cider and add more wine and brandy (or orange liqueur) to taste, along with sugar or honey.🙂
Hi there, love your blog, so beautifully made and easy to navigate. BTW, what recipe maker wordpress plugin you use?
Hi Shiely,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!☺️
Nami uses the WP Recipe Maker plugin.