Mulled wine has a long and storied history, with most European nations having their own version of this hot, spiced, fruity drink. The British have mulled wine, the French have vin chaud, the Germans have glühwein, and the Greeks have krasomelo.

You put a spice blend in a wine of your choice, heat it up, and serve it to chilly guests during the winter months. However, if you want your warm treat to go down well, there are a few things you should consider in addition to the ingredients. Your preparation and serving methods need to be on point, the vessels you’re filling should be considered, and you’ll definitely need a snack on the side. What good is mulled wine if it isn’t washing down something tasty?

To save you some stress at this busy time of year, we’ve compiled a list of 10 tips that should ensure your mulled wine is a hit this year, and for many years to come. This list is based on our own extensive experience of making, serving, and enjoying mulled wine. We’ve spent many years making our own mulled wine, sampling friends’ efforts, and paying too much for a hot glass at cold Christmas markets. This has given us a good idea of what works (and what doesn’t) when making and serving this winter staple. So sit back, pour yourself a glass of something warm, and enjoy our tips to serve and drink mulled wine this winter.

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It’s not overly challenging to find a classic mulled wine recipe on the internet, however, such recipes ought to be regarded more as a basic foundation rather than a rigid blueprint for making this seasonal delight. Many may view this beverage as just an affordable, robust red wine that’s been warmed with a few spices, but mulled wine can actually be quite a versatile drink.

When discussing the base, there are numerous different types of wines suitable for mulled wine. Persisting with reds, one can select a light-to-medium-bodied red over a fuller variant, modifying the spices in accordance. With a lighter red, going heavy on the cardamom may be a good choice, while spices such as nutmeg might work better with a more full-bodied base. White wine can also be mulled for a slightly unconventional choice.

Irrespective of your election, modifying the recipe to accord with your individual preference and the tastes of your company is advisable. The only effective method of achieving this is through a process of trial and error – scribble down observational notes and enhance the recipe over several winters or launch into a period of intensive testing. Being familiar with your spices will allow you to identify what should be increased or decreased to formulate a drink that suits your palate. It’s also worth to test several base wines, as they vary quite a bit, and your selection will considerably influence the final product. The end result will be your own distinct recipe. Whether you keep it a secret, pass it down through generations, or broadcast it to everyone, it will undoubtedly be worth your while.

Should your desire to make mulled wine arise spontaneously, you may be inclined to just use what is readily available at home. Many a household has a bottle of red that has long stayed put on a counter along with all the spices you could require stowed away on a shelf. However, even in such cases, it is advisable to take a quick trip to the store if you are short on whole spices.

Whole cloves, cinnamon, and star anise are crucial to a good mulled wine. The powdered versions of these spices will dissolve differently into the wine, leading to potential recipe inconsistencies. Furthermore, powdered spices can lose their strength faster, resulting in a bland wine taste. Ground spices also pose a potential change in clarity and consistency. Whole spices, on the other hand, can be filtered out quickly, and they look better while the wine is being mulled. Therefore, even for a quick mulled wine, it’s pivotal to have these spices at hand, in their whole form.

Heating the wine, which appears simpler than it is, can affect the spices and other ingredients in the drink. An unexpected clove or a stray piece of orange might not be harmful but can lessen the aesthetic appeal of your mulled wine. These fragments might also alter the texture of the drink, as nobody would like to extract cloves from their mouth after every sip.

Fortunately, straining or sieving your mulled wine after heating can help keep it free from unwelcome fragments. You can either reuse the spices as a garnish or use fresh ones to beautify your drink. This step is especially beneficial when using an orange garnish, as the orange used during the mulling process might have started decomposing.

Traditionally, mulled wine is a hot beverage. The heat is necessary for extracting flavors from the spices, and the wine should also be served hot. The warmth adds to the appeal, making the drink enjoyable during cold winter days. However, boiling the mulled wine is to be avoided at all costs.

If your mulled wine reaches its boiling point, two things will happen. You’ll evaporate off more alcohol than necessary, resulting in a weak final product. Boiling also affects the flavor of the wine, leaving you with a bitter and unpleasant beverage. You may be able to fix a boiled batch by adding in extra syrup or sugar and replacing the missing alcohol. But equally, it may be something that ruins your mulled wine and causes you to tip out your tipple and start all over again. So it’s best to keep the temperature of your mulled wine under 174 degrees Fahrenheit, with the ideal temperature at around 160 degrees Fahrenheit. At 172 degrees Fahrenheit, the alcohol will begin to evaporate, and it’s all downhill from there.

A slow cooker is a great way to make sure you don’t overheat your mulled wine. Low, medium, and high settings will vary by model — but none of those settings should put your wine into the thermal danger zone. It takes a lot of the challenge out of cooking the wine, as you won’t have to keep a constant eye on a thermometer and adjust your stove accordingly. It also has another notable bonus.

You can use a slow cooker to effortlessly keep your mulled wine at an ideal serving temperature. This is perfect if you’re making the hot drink for a party or another gathering which will go on for several hours. A punch bowl will cause your mulled wine to lose heat very quickly, and a pan on the stove will need to be constantly monitored and reheated. Even if you want to initially mull the wine on a stove, straining it into a slow cooker afterward is a sensible choice.

While some beautifully crafted glassware both looks the part and shows off the wine’s vibrant color, it’s not really necessary. Mulled wine is, at its heart, a comfort drink. So a thick stoneware mug is both cozy and comfortable — even if it doesn’t look high-end. Whatever you pick, it should be somewhat insulated and feature a handle, for comfort reasons more than anything. While your mouth can take sips of hot wine without too many problems, that heat will be very uncomfortable in your palms. Using a few napkins or a cloth to insulate the glass is a little unsightly, and also makes your grip more unstable. So don’t fear that faded Daffy Duck mug rattling around the back of your cupboard, embrace it.

There’s also a safety aspect. Some glass vessels aren’t built to handle heat and may crack or shatter when a hot beverage is poured into it. Not all glassware is like this, and some is built to handle a vast thermal range, but this is something you should double-check before deciding on a drinking vessel.

While drinking mulled wine is an event in itself, you should really serve an array of snacks with it — if only to soak up some of the booze. As mulled wine is a traditional drink, there are plenty of traditional dishes that pair well with it. The main one in Britain is mince pie. Despite its name, this doesn’t contain any ground beef. Instead, it’s packed with fruit and spices — much like the mulled wine.

The German version of mulled wine, glühwein, is often served with schnitzel and blue cheese pastries. A stack of pork or chicken mini-schnitzels are both easy to make and could be a great addition to your holiday spread.

Germany may also be onto something with the pastries, as a strong, creamy, blue cheese like stilton or Roquefort is also a fantastic accompaniment to the fruity, spicy, wine. A cheese board isn’t the most difficult thing to assemble, so it could be an ideal choice if you’re looking for something to adorn your holiday table.

When it’s time to serve your mulled wine, the beverage should have obtained the perfect blend of flavor from the spices added during mulling. However, appearance matters as much as taste. Therefore, if you’re hosting a sophisticated soirée, a garnish is essential. Conventionally, garnishing mulled wine involves adding more of the ingredients used in the mulling process—preferably fresher and more presentable ones. Mulling can alter the color of cinnamon sticks and affect the visual appeal of delicate additions like orange slices, so use fresh garnishes wherever possible.

Be careful not to overload the glass, as excessive spice might alter the taste. If you want to stick to tradition, place a fresh cinnamon stick on the rim and adjoin an orange slice to the drink.

Further, you can highlight the festive ambiance associated with the drink. A twig of holly on the side or a tinsel twirl around the glass can add a dash of holiday spirit.

Mulled wine is not just about the alcohol content, though it does contribute significantly at times. It’s also relatively stress-free to enhance the alcohol level in your mulled wine if the regular red wine alcohol content doesn’t satisfy your palette, or an accidental overboil during mulling decreased the level.

Increasing the alcohol volume of mulled wine can be achieved by incorporating some liquor into it. Favourably, wine-based or neutral liquors such as sherry or brandy would seamlessly integrate with the wine. This is because they do not alter the flavor significantly. Port, a fortified dessert wine, can not only amplify the wine’s strength but also enhance its sweetness. Hence, if Port is used, you may consider reducing the amount of sugar you add. Divergent spirits like dark rum or Vodka can also be explored to lend a unique flavor twist.

The amount of alcohol to be added is contingent upon the quantity of mulled wine you are making and the desired strength of the final product. About an ounce of alcohol per bottle of wine used might be a good start. It’s best to add the spirit towards the end so as to conserve its alcohol content. Remember, excessive heating can lead to alcohol evaporation, thus affecting the wine’s quality.

Regardless of the size of your mulled wine recipe, you may end up preparing a large share for a party. If there’s any leftover, don’t just dispose of it. When properly sealed, mulled wine can last for about 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. However, make sure it cools down to room temperature before refrigerating. Considering the festive season is usually filled with unending parties, there’ll be ample opportunities to utilize the leftover.

When reheating your mulled wine, ensure to slowly warm it up to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit before serving. You don’t necessarily need to add extra spices as the wine is already flavored. However, garnishing the wine after it’s been poured into a mug is not a bad idea.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.