Mulling Spices for Apple Cider and Red Wine

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 14 servings
Yield: 14 spice bags

Mulled wine or apple cider are welcome hot beverages at fall and winter gatherings; the warm spices offer a comforting flavor and add a special touch to any party. And mulling spices have a side benefit—your house smells wonderful when guests arrive.

This spice mix makes a nice gift for friends who enjoy mulled cider or red wine. If you are giving spice bags as a present, be sure to include recipe instructions for how to use it at home. For at-home storage, keep the bags in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

For this recipe, you will need 14 five-inch squares of double-layer cheesecloth and 14 (10-inch) lengths of white string.

Mulling spice mixture with cinnamon chips, allspice berries, and bits of crystallized ginger

The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

"Mulling spices make a great gift, especially for teachers (with a bottle of wine or a jug of apple cider). They also do double-duty as potpourri. This recipe reminds me of the holidays and apple-picking season. Loved it!" —Diana Andrews

Mulling Spices for Apple Cider and Red Wine Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 3 ounces cinnamon sticks

  • 6 whole nutmeg

  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped dried orange peel

  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped dried lemon peel

  • 1/4 cup allspice berries

  • 1/4 cup whole cloves

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for mulling spice mixture recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  2. Place the cinnamon sticks and nutmeg in a heavy-duty freezer bag, press the air out, and seal.

     Cinnamon sticks and nutmegs in a heavy-duty freezer bag

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  3. Pound the spices with the bottom of a rolling pin, small heavy skillet, or kitchen mallet to break them into small pieces.

    Crushed cinnamon sticks and nutmeg in a heavy-duty freezer bag

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  4. Place the crushed spices in a bowl and stir in the orange peel, lemon peel, allspice, cloves, and crystallized ginger.

    Orange and lemon peel, allspice, cloves, and crystallized ginger in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  5. Place about 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture in the center of each 5-inch square of double-layer cheesecloth. Alternatively, you can use empty single-serve tea filter bags.

    Spice mixture mounded in the center of a square piece of cheesecloth

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

  6. Tie the cloth securely with string and use it to prepare mulled cider or wine.

    Cheesecloth tied into a bag with butcher twine

    The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

How to Use

  • Each bag will spice 3 1/4 cups (a 750-ml bottle) of red wine or 1/2 gallon (8 cups) of apple cider.
  • To make mulled red wine, combine the wine, 1/3 cup honey or sugar, and the spice pouch in a pot. Warm over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring once in a while to make sure the sweetener is dissolved. Ladle the liquid into mugs, discarding the spice pouch.
  • To make mulled apple cider, all you need is the spice pouch and cider. Just place in a pot, bring the mix to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for about half an hour. Discard the spice pouch, and serve the hot cider in mugs.

Tips

  • Mulling covers up many of the subtleties of wine, so don't waste money on the really good stuff. Look around on the middle shelves for medium-priced bottles—not too cheap, but not much more than twenty dollars.
  • You want a big, bold, dry red wine to shine through the mulling so you don't get a mouthful dominated by the spices. Go with a Malbec, Zinfandel, or Syrah/Shiraz. Blends are usually cheaper; a blend of two or even three of these varieties would be a fine choice.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
44 Calories
1g Fat
12g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 14
Amount per serving
Calories 44
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 14mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 6g 20%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 7mg 35%
Calcium 106mg 8%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 99mg 2%
*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.)