Heart-warming Glühwein: Winter has never been this fun

What’s that one winter drink that all winter parties need? It’s not just Irish coffee, but a heart-warming Glühwein, a mulled wine drink filled with all kinds of spices and fruit, served while warm and enjoyed with great people. The name might be German, but this drink has it’s origins in Rome as the wine wasn’t what it is today and needed some spices and fruit to spruce it up and sometimes just a fun way to change things up a bit. However, it’s now a favourite for cozy winter get-togethers with friends.

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HEART-WARMING GLÜHWEIN SUGGESTIONS

You can use any of your favourite red wines, however, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir work wonders because they are either fruit, spicy or both. The recipe below is just the start to the party because you can experiment with the citrus, fruit and spices you’re going to add into your mulled wine. Taste your wine before serving and adjust to your preferences. You might think that a lot of the alcohol boils away, but be assured, you can often drink quite a bit, so drink responsibly but enjoy every single sip, ans sleep over if you have to. (mulled wine can make you quite sleepy eventually)

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When you’ve got friends over for a cozy winter party, make some heart-warming Glühwein to get things started become more festive.

Last updated on 6 July 2023

HEART-WARMING GLÜHWEIN RECIPE

Recipe by Don Van Deventer

Course: Drinks Cuisine: Global Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Total time: 45 minutes

A traditional Glühwein recipe with a twist.

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup orange juice

• ¾ cup white sugar

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 orange

• 10 whole cloves

• 750 ml your favourite red wine

METHOD

• In a saucepan add the sugar, orange juice and cinnamon stick and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer.
• Cut your orange in half and squeeze all the juice into the simmering liquid. Press the cloves into the outside of the orange peel and then add the peels to the liquid. Leave to simmer for around 30 minutes, until it becomes a syrup.
• Lastly pour in the bottle of red wine. Heat it until it starts steaming and then remove the clove-studded orange halves.