Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

Glasses of mulled wine, orange slices and cinnamon stars on cloth and wooden tray

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Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings

This easy and fragrant recipe for slow cooker mulled wine is a perfect recipe for serving with appetizers before Christmas dinner. Mulled wine is like a hot toddy: an alcoholic beverage with sugar, spices, and citrus added to make a warming drink.

The history of this recipe is interesting. It was first served by the Romans and is a traditional holiday drink in the United Kingdom and Germany. It is also a popular drink in the Netherlands, France, and Scandinavian countries. 

It's important to use dry red wine in this recipe because so much sugar, in the form of corn syrup or golden syrup and honey, are added. You don't want the wine to taste too sweet. It should still have the acidity and tannic quality of red wine. You also don't need to use an especially good wine; just an average bottle of fairly dry wine, similar to a house wine at a restaurant, would be perfect.

The orange peel should be either cut fairly fine or cut into big loops that will look pretty in the beverage. You can remove the orange peel and cinnamon stick before serving or leave it in to add even more flavor as the beverage is served.

Put out ceramic cups, such as coffee cups or punch cups, with this recipe. Put a thin slice of orange inside of each cup and let your guests ladle the mulled wine over the orange.

You can serve this mulled wine in your crock pot on a table when serving a buffet dinner for the holidays. The color and fragrance are simply perfect for celebrating winter occasions. It's delicious with any appetizer, but especially with recipes that have a robust flavor. Any recipe using meat would be perfect with this drink, such as pâté, bacon-wrapped sausages, or devils on horseback.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Combine both bottles of wine, corn syrup, honey, water, orange peel, cinnamon stick, allspice and nutmeg in a 4-quart crock pot and stir well to combine.

  2. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours, stirring once during cooking.

  3. Remove orange peel and cinnamon stick before serving, if desired. Place a thin orange slice in the bottom of each mug and spoon the hot wine over the orange using a large ladle.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
233 Calories
0g Fat
32g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 233
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 18mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 28g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 7mg 33%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 212mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)