BHA & BHT Free Mulled Wine (Glühwein)

Total time30 min

Prep time5 min

Cook time25 min

Warm, spiced, and deeply aromatic, this classic German-style mulled wine is the kind of drink that makes a cold evening feel genuinely festive. Whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and crushed cardamom pods steep slowly in red wine and a splash of brandy, building layers of flavor that no bottled shortcut can replicate. That's exactly the point — commercial mulled wine mixes and pre-spiced bottles often rely on synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT to extend shelf life, but this recipe uses nothing but whole spices, fresh citrus, and a little sugar. Every ingredient is straightforward and easy to verify, so you know precisely what's going into your mug. The low-and-slow warming method is key: keeping the wine just below a boil preserves the alcohol and lets the spices bloom without turning bitter. A final pass through a fine-mesh strainer leaves you with a beautifully clear, amber-red drink that looks as good as it tastes. Ladle it into mugs, tuck in a cinnamon stick, and let the smell do the rest of the work.

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Ingredients

6 servings

1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (such as merlot, pinot noir, or dornfelder)
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¼ cup brandy or dark rum
3 tbsp granulated sugar, plus more to taste
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
6 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole star anise
4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
¼ tsp whole black peppercorns (optional)

For serving

orange slices or cinnamon sticks, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1
Combine the red wine, brandy, sugar, orange rounds, lemon rounds, cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cardamom pods in a medium saucepan. Add the peppercorns, if using.
2
Warm the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, until steam rises steadily and small bubbles appear around the edges — about 10 minutes. Do not let the wine boil; reduce the heat to low as soon as it approaches a simmer.

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