You and your family will love Smoked Mulled Wine this holiday season. Warm, fruity, spicy flavors are all packed into this cup of holiday goodness served with a cinnamon stick for stirring. You just need to start up the fire pit and enjoy this soothing, warm drink.
The best part of this is that we keep ourselves grilling through the winter season, which I’m passionate about and want everyone to keep the fires going out on the deck. There is no reason to seal these grills up until spring. Put on a jacket, grab the dutch oven and let’s make some Mulled Wine on the grill this weekend.
♨️ Why This Works
Flexible – We love recipes where we can provide the staple ingredients and you can customize it. There are endless possibilities of ways to make this that you’ll have a great time experimenting.
Makes a Ton – This recipe can be made “as-is” or you can double or triple it with no problem for holiday guests.
Fast and Easy – Make this for a bunch of friends in less than 30 minutes or make it the day before and it’s ready to reheat in ten minutes.
🍷 Ingredients
Wine – Use a red wine here and we chose Cabernet, but use your favorite fruity based red wine here for fantastic results.
Cognac – We loved adding a bit of Cognac to this version. If you don’t have any, try Whiskey or Rum in its place.
Anise Pods – Look for these spices in the spice aisle at the grocery store or bulk food section. We like to buy ours at the International Food Grocery Stores as we can get a large bag for about $2. They are shaped like a star with eight points that come from a plant of the Illicium Verum Plant that is from China. Make sure to buy the star version and not the powdered.
🔥 Instructions
Step One: Cut the oranges and grapefruit and smoke them over a low temperature of 180-200 degrees. Choose smoking chips to complement the mulled wine. We chose cherry, but apple wood works as well. You want a soft flavor so don’t pick up your bag of hickory.
Place the cut fruit on the grate, flesh side down for 30 minutes or so. Look for a soft smoky flavor, you don’t want it to be overpowering.
Step Two: Remove the citrus from the grill and pour the wine, cognac, honey, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise into a dutch oven. Add the smoked citrus and stir to dissolve the honey. Cover and place back on the grill.
Step Three: Simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow all the flavors to come together and heat thoroughly.
Step Four: Remove from the grill and allow to cool and stick in the refrigerator overnight.
📌 Expert Tips
Determine your smoke level for this recipe. The fruit is on the grill for 30 minutes and it adds a distinct (but not overpowering) smoky flavor added to the mulled wine. Analyze your crowd and if you think you have people who might be sensitive to the smoky flavor, reduce the time the fruit stays over the smoke. You are going to get that slight smoky flavor that people will go “oh wow!!” but not the SMOKY FLAVOR where they go “it tastes too smokey for me.”
Choose smoking chips wisely. Choose wood chips that are mild and fruity so look for apple or cherry and stick away from hickory and mesquite. Those work great for meats but not drinks.
Recipe FAQ
How to reheat?
This drink is best served warm. If you need to reheat it, place it on the stovetop on low heat. Don’t let it boil. It just needs to heat up and not burn off the alcohol.
How long can you keep refrigerated?
This can stay fresh and delicious in the refrigerator for 3-5 days as long as it’s covered or sealed.
What is the difference between mulled wine and Ghulwhein?
Nothing. It is a hot, spiced wine. Ghulwein is just the German name of the same thing.
What is the best wine to use?
You are looking for a fruity wine so go with a Burgundy, Shiraz or any red that is fruit based. Inexpensive Cabernet works great. Merlot might be a bit too strong but if you are used to it, go for it!
Related Recipes
Another holiday classic is Grilled Chestnuts. These are super easy to make and complement this recipe perfectly!
Try some smoked butternut squash as long as you have the grill set up for smoking. This fall squash is as tasty as it is gorgeous!
Smoked Mulled Wine with Cognac
Ingredients
- 2 bottles Red Wine
- ⅓ cup Cognac
- 1 Grapefruit
- 4 Oranges
- ½ cup Honey
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 2 Star Anise Pod
- 6 Whole Cloves
Instructions
- Cut the oranges and grapefruit in half and smoke them over low temperature of 180-200 degrees. Choose smoking chips that you like the flavor to complement the mulled wine. Cherry and Apple work well here. Place them on the grate flesh side down for 30 minutes. You are looking for a soft smoky flavor, you don't want it to be overpowering.
- Remove the citrus from the grill and add it to a dutch oven. Pour the wine, cognac, honey, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and stir to dissolve the honey. Cover.
- Place the covered dutch oven on the grill and let it simmer this for 20-30 minutes to allow all the flavors to come together.
- Remove from grill and allow to cool and stick in refrigerator overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
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