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Easy Slow Cooker Mulled Wine with Orange & Cloves

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This easy slow cooker mulled wine with orange and cloves is a warm, spiced drink that fills your home with cozy aromas. It’s forgiving, customizable, and perfect for entertaining or a quiet night in.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (Merlot, Zinfandel, or Cabernet Sauvignon)
  • 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 large navel orange (zest and juice)
  • 1 apple, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 8–10 whole cloves
  • 3–4 whole star anise
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 2–3 strips fresh ginger (about 1 inch each), peeled and sliced into coins
  • 2–3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prep your orange: Wash the orange thoroughly. Using a vegetable peeler, remove long strips of the orange zest, avoiding the white pith. Juice the orange into a small bowl. Set both aside.
  2. Prep your spices: Peel the ginger with the edge of a spoon and slice into thin coins. Lightly crush the cardamom pods with the flat side of a knife. If using a vanilla bean, split it lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a small dish.
  3. Combine in the slow cooker: Pour the entire bottle of red wine into a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Add the honey or maple syrup, fresh orange juice, orange peel strips, cinnamon sticks, star anise, ginger slices, crushed cardamom pods, and vanilla bean (or extract). If you studded the orange peel with cloves, add that now; otherwise, drop the whole cloves directly into the wine.
  4. Stir gently: Give everything a gentle stir to combine. The honey will dissolve as the wine heats.
  5. Cook on low: Set the slow cooker to LOW and cook for 2-3 hours. After 1 hour, stir gently to ensure the honey has dissolved. The wine should be steaming hot but not bubbling. If it starts to simmer, switch to WARM or KEEP WARM.
  6. Taste and adjust: After 2-3 hours, taste the mulled wine. Add more honey if needed, or more orange juice if too sweet. Let it cook another 30 minutes if you want more spice flavor.
  7. Strain and serve: Using a slotted spoon or fine-mesh strainer, remove the orange peels, cinnamon sticks, star anise, ginger slices, cardamom pods, and whole cloves. Ladle the warm mulled wine into mugs. Garnish with a fresh orange slice or a cinnamon stick if desired.

Notes

Do not let the wine boil, as it will cook off the alcohol and make the spices taste bitter. For best results, keep the slow cooker on LOW or WARM. The flavors improve over the first 24-48 hours. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Keywords: mulled wine, slow cooker, orange, cloves, winter drink, holiday, entertaining

Find it online: https://ovenmila.com/easy-slow-cooker-mulled-wine-with-orange-and-cloves/