The Best Holiday Mulled White Wine Recipe

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

The Best Holiday Mulled White Wine Recipe - This warm holiday cocktail has become a new favorite in our home. Dry white wines are transformed with the addition of honey, Calvados (apple brandy), orange peel, cinnamon sticks, star anise, allspice, and whole cloves, creating a warming drink that's a lovely addition to any cold weather cozy gathering.

Delicious holiday beverages garnished with orange slices and rosemary, perfect for celebrations. — Celebrate the season with fruity drinks, ornaments, and holiday decor on a marble surface.

White mulled wine is a fresh take on the more traditional, red wine recipes, and can be made with Sauvignon Blanc, pinot grigio, or even a dry Riesling. The addition of Calvados adds a rich caramel flavor that, when combined with citrus flavors and aromatic spices, creates the perfect drink for long cold days.

We love making new cocktails and mocktails on the weekends! For more inspiration for your next gathering try our Apple Cider Bourbon Shrub Cocktail, Thai Garden Spritz, and our Hibiscus Margarita Mocktail.

What You're Going to Need!

Mulled white wine ingredients including oranges, cinnamon, star anise, and wine for seasonal celebrations.

White Wine- all dry white wines will work great! That's the beauty of this delicious drink recipe.
Calvados- we love apple brandy during the holiday season.
Honey- we used our favorite Colorado wildflower honey; however, orange blossom honey would be delicious too!
Orange peel- adds the perfect bright pop of citrus flavors.
Whole spices- add a warm seasonal flavor that is essential for this new holiday favorite.

See recipe card for quantities.

Recipe

Warm mulled white wine in glasses with dried oranges and pine decoration.

Christine Miller

The Best Holiday Mulled White Wine Recipe

No ratings yet

This warm holiday cocktail as become a new favorite in our home. Dry white wines are transformed with the addition of honey, Calvados (apple brandy), orange peel, cinnamon sticks, star anise, allspice, and whole cloves. Creating a warming drink that's a lovely addition to any cold weather cozy gathering.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings: 6 servings

Course: brunch, Dinner, Drinks

Cuisine: American

Calories: 205.5

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition

Ingredients

1 bottle dry white wine
2-4 oz. Calvados or any favorite Brandy
¼ cup honey
2 large oranges
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 each whole cloves
4 each cinnamon sticks
4 each star anise
6 each whole allspice

Equipment

1 Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot
1 peeler
1 Measuring cup set
1 wooden spoon or kitchen spoon
1 Cutting Board
1 Chef Knife
6 White wine glasses or favorite holiday mugs

Method

Add the wine and the Calvados to a Dutch oven or a heavy bottom pot.
Using a potato peeler carefully remove the zest from one of the oranges, leaving as much of the white pith on the orange.
Add the measured honey, spices, and orange peel to the pot, and stir to combine the honey and the brandy with the wine.
Place the pot over medium-low heat and warm through bringing it to a gentle simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow too steep for 5-7 minutes before serving.
Slice an orange into half-moon slices, place an orange slice and a sprig of rosemary into 6 white wine glasses and ladle the warm mulled wine into the garnished glasses for service.

Nutrition

Calories: 205.5kcalCarbohydrates: 24.4gProtein: 1gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gTrans Fat: 0.003gSodium: 10.6mgPotassium: 241.1mgFiber: 2.5gSugar: 18.6gVitamin A: 152IUVitamin C: 33.3mgCalcium: 60.9mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

How to Make Festive Mulled White Wine

The ingredients for mulled white wine heated in a pot with Christmas ornaments, fresh oranges, and pine.

Combine the wine, Calvados, orange peel, honey, and spices in a heavy bottom pot. Heat until warmed through over low-medium heat. Allow the mulled wine to steep for 5-7 minutes before serving.

Place slices of orange and sprigs of rosemary into white wine glasses. Carefully ladle the warm mulled wine into the glasses and enjoy!

Chef Tip

The best tip we could give you when making this simple recipe is to make the effort to use whole spices. Ground spices will make the mulled wine cloudy and the flavor to strong. We love having a few whole spices on hand they are useful for many recipes sweet and savory alike.

Substitutions & Variations

Mocktail - to make a non-alcoholic version of this warm drink, try using white grape juice or even apple juice.
Honey - you could substitute honey with maple syrup or even brown sugar.
Spices - try adding or omitting spices to your own taste or even adding a touch of vanilla.
Calvados - we are great fans of this delicious apple brandy; however, all brandy will work for this recipe.

Storage & Helpful Hints

This delicious drink recipe can be made ahead of time and reheated for serving. Simply heat the mixture acording to the recipe instructions, cool it down, and strain the orange peel and spices out before placing it into a container and into the refrigerator for storing. Then reheat over low heat until warm for serving.

The spice flavors will strengthen in flavor the longer they are allowed to steep in the wine mixture. Therefore, test the steeping time to determine the intensity of spice flavor you prefer.

Corned beef hash on a white plate with a fried egg and sliced green onions and a fork and knife, served with a cup of tea.

Newest Recipe!

Leftover Corned Beef, Cabbage, & Potato Hash

Every St. Patrick's Day we cook two corned beef brisket roasts, so we have one leftover to make our favorite corned beef and potato hash.

Get the Recipe

FAQ

Is white wine used for mulled wine?

White wine is not traditionally used for making mulled wine, but we love how it pairs with the light citrus flavor of fresh orange, and the warming flavors of whole spices.