Christmas Recipes - Mulled Sangria Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between mulled wine and sangria? ›

Like ice-cold Spanish sangria, warm mulled wine is essentially red wine that is slightly sweetened, flavoured with citrus, lightly spiced and, usually, finished with a spirit or liqueur. However, mulled wine does not include cucumber or candied cherries.

Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas.

The best red wine to use for mulled wine is Merlot, Zinfandel or Garnacha (also called Grenache). These wines are dark, fruity and full bodied, which means they can support all of the flavors we'll be adding. Look for labels that describe the wine as “jammy” or with “notes of vanilla.”

Glühwein is usually made with spices and served hot, sangria is served cold and uses fruit. Nonetheless they have the same ancestor. So is sangria typically Spanish, it's arguable. But when done well it makes for refreshing summer aperitif.

Most mulled wine is served in a mug. Ceramic or porcelain mugs will help to protect your hands from the heat of the spiced wine, and the mug handle will make it much easier to drink. Glass mugs are another good option for serving mulled wine. However, there are special mulled wine glasses.

Unless you keep it boiling for a while it won't lose much alcohol content. While pure ethanol does evapoate quickly at a relatively low temperature, the lower the alcohol content gets, the more slowly does more alcohol evaporate at that temperature. Mulled wine will typically have between eight and 13 per cent abv.

Mulled wine goes by many names—spiced wine, hot wine, glögg, glühwein, and vin chaud are a few I hear used interchangeably.

If you are having a Christmas dinner with a traditional turkey, you'll want a fruity red like a pinot noir, a smooth merlot or a full bodied shiraz to compliment the meat, stuffing, vegetables and cranberry sauce.

This drink is consumed enormously in Scandinavian countries, particularly in Sweden and Denmark, where it is called Glögg and Gløgg respectively (terms meaning "mulled wine" in each language). In Germany, as in most Germanic countries, it is mainly consumed under the name Glühwein.

Should you use cheap wine for mulled wine? ›

Mulled Wine Ingredients:

Wine: No need to splurge on a pricey bottle — a mid-range bottle of dry red or white wine will do. (Or if you're making a big batch, this is a great recipe to break out a nicer boxed wine too!)

Zinfandels, Merlots, Syrah/Shiraz, or Garnache tend to work best. Avoid red wines high in tannins or have an oaky flavor, and avoid light reds. Sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to have a full-bodied, fruity flavor, can work in a pinch, as can Malbec, which tends to have a bold, spicy flavor.

Glühwein, as mulled wine is known in Germany, is essentially red wine heated with spices, lemon and sugar - generally cinnamon and cloves are used in all recipes, with some adding aniseed or vanilla. A variation on the mulled wine is the Feuerzangenbowle.

Here in the States, they call it Hark and Holly Glühwein. And at Trader Joe's, we call it one of our favorite ways to keep warm during the holidays.

Sangria is a wine punch, also known as an aromatized wine. It combines wine with fruit, fruit juices, and other aromatic ingredients like herbs and spices. Traditionally, the mix of ingredients depended on local custom — each region had a unique recipe, but the classic mix is Spanish red wine with oranges.

As its popularity continued to grow throughout the middle ages, Europeans would mix heated wine with spices because they believed it would promote health and avoid sickness. They would also use herbs and flowers as natural sweeteners to make unpalatable wines taste a lot nicer.

Only the broad flavour of the red wine remains, to which the other ingredients contribute additional flavours. Mulled wine can taste sweet, smoky, fruity, tart, or a combination of these. It tastes sweet due to the sweetener added to it.