Homemade Mulling Spices
It's easy to make your own homemade mulling spices and enjoy hot mulled cider or wine to make the winter season cozy.
Servings 16
Calories 48kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ounces cinnamon sticks
- ¼ cup whole cloves
- ¼ cup star anise
- ¼ cup allspice berries
- ¼ cup crystallized ginger
- ¼ cup dried orange peel
Instructions
Dried Orange Peel
- Preheat oven at 200°F
- Wash and dry an orange. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the orange into strips.
- Place the orange peel on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the peels are dry and starting to curl. Allow to cool.
Mulling Spices Blend
- Place all ingredients in a resealable zip lock bag. Use a rolling pin or meat pounder to crush the spices up a bit, enough to break the cinnamon sticks.
- Store in an airtight container.
To Make Mulled Wine or Cider
- Gently heat a bottle of red wine or apple cider in a pot, along with two tablespoons of mulling spice. You can put the spices directly into the pot, and strain the drinks into glasses. Or you can use cheesecloth or a tea ball.
- Heat just until the wine is barely simmering. Turn the heat to warm and let the spices steep for 10 minutes.
- Serve garnished with apple slices for cider, or orange slices for wine.
Notes
- Spices: In addition to, or instead of any of the spices in the recipe, you can also use any aromatic spices. Some other great choices are cardamom pods, black peppercorns, juniper berries, or whole nutmeg. You can also use dried lemon peel or dried apples or pears, along with, or in place of the orange rind.
- Spice bags: Although you can put the mulling spices directly into the pot along with red wine or apple cider, you will need to strain the spices out before drinking. You can avoid this by using a tea ball or cloth spice bags, or by wrapping the spices in cheesecloth tied with string.
- Mix: Always mix the spice blend well before using. The smaller spices will quickly settle to the bottom of the mix.
- Wine: For mulling, use an inexpensive dry red wine, and choose a full bodied red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, or Malbec.
- Cider: For mulled hot cider, use fresh apple cider or unfiltered apple juice. You can add some brandy to make an alcoholic beverage, or some brown sugar to sweeten.
- Crock pot: To make a large batch of hot drinks for holiday gatherings, use a slow cooker on its low setting for mulling.
- Gifting: Homemade mulling spices makes a great gift idea. Package the blend in small jars and label them. Be sure to include a card with a mulled wine recipe or instructions for making a festive drink.
- Storage: Store in a sealed jar for up to one year.
Nutrition
Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg
