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HotWinterHolidayBatch

Mulled Non-Alcoholic Wine

The smell of December. Makes the whole house smell right and scales to any number of guests.

Prep
25 min
Serves
6
Glass
Mug
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 cups red grape juice
  • 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
  • 1 orange, sliced
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 3 star anise
  • 2 tbsp honey or brown sugar, to taste
  • Optional: 1 cup non-alcoholic red wine

Method

  1. 1Combine everything in a saucepan over low heat.
  2. 2Bring it to a bare simmer — steaming, never bubbling. Boiling turns the spices bitter and cooks off the aroma that's the whole point.
  3. 3Hold at that temperature for 20 minutes.
  4. 4Taste and adjust the sweetness, then strain into mugs.
  5. 5Garnish each with an orange slice and a cinnamon stick.

Notes

  • Never let it boil. This is the only way to get this wrong.
  • The cranberry juice supplies the tartness grape juice alone lacks — without it the result is syrupy.
  • It holds on the lowest heat setting for hours, which makes it ideal for a party.

Common questions

Can you mull non-alcoholic wine?

Yes, and it works well — mulling spices were historically used to make rough wine palatable, so they suit a de-alcoholised base. Keep it below a simmer; heat drives off the aromatics you're trying to build.

Make one of these next

  • Hot Toddy Mocktail

    Honey, lemon and spice in hot water. What to hold at a winter party, and genuinely soothing when you're ill.

  • Spiced Hot Chocolate

    Made with real chocolate and a little chilli. The drink to hand people at a December party.

  • Apple Cider Mule

    A mule with cider in place of the vodka. Autumn's best drink and it takes three minutes.

A new recipe each month

Plus new venues and a Dry January plan when it comes round.