Nightshade Free Mulled Wine (Glühwein)
Warm, spiced, and deeply aromatic, this mulled wine is the kind of drink that makes a cold evening feel like a celebration. Red wine is gently heated with citrus rounds, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom until every sip is layered with fragrance and warmth — a splash of brandy rounds it all out beautifully. For anyone navigating nightshade restrictions, wine-based drinks can sometimes feel like a minefield when commercial spice blends or flavored spirits sneak in unexpected ingredients, but this recipe keeps everything clean and whole. Every spice here is used in its natural, unprocessed form, so you know exactly what's going into your mug. The key technique is patience — keeping the heat low enough that the wine never boils preserves both the alcohol and the delicate complexity of the spices. Adjust the sugar to your liking as it simmers, and ladle it through a strainer for a silky, polished pour. It's the kind of thing you'll want to make on repeat all winter long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (such as merlot, pinot noir, or dornfelder)
- 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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