I borderline stalked my friend for her German Mulled White Wine recipe that she got while living in Germany. It was worth it. 

I’m becoming one of those annoying people. I fixate on recipes until I have them in my greedy little hands, and will harass you until I get it. An example, this white mulled wine recipe. If eat or drink something incredible at your house, there is a better than good chance I’m going to ask you for the recipe and share it here. (You’ve been warned.)

On Halloween, my sweet friend Lynn had us over to her house for trick-or-treating. (She does Halloween right you guys, I took notes.) When we got there, you were immediately hit in the face with the most incredible smell. Spicy and citrusy – the whole house smelled like a hug. I found out that it was her famous mulled wine. One sip in, a new obsession of mine began and it has been mulled wine all the time since.

I went to bed that night wondering how I was going to have more mulled wine in my life. The next morning I texted her for the recipe. She immediately texted me back and told me she would type it out for me. She has way more important and pressing things to do than indulge my need for mulled wine and forgot all about it. (Just like I would have.) Normal people probably would have forgotten about it and would moved on. Oh no, not me, I’m not normal.

You guys, I borderline stalked her for this recipe.

I’m not proud. And I am so thankful that she still talks to me after I harassed her so much.

They lived in Germany for a few years and she got this recipe from a restaurant there. I normally would never have even taken a sip. I stay away from really sweet drinks (because hangover) but this is not too sweet. It is a little sweet, but not cloying, and has a lot of bright notes from the citrus. As you can tell she has played with the recipe to get it just right.

I make a half batch when I make it (I’m on batch number 3), because it makes a lot. 6 liters of wine is no joke. If I have any leftover, which I almost always do, I strain out the citrus and spices so that it doesn’t get bitter. Keep it in a pitcher in your fridge and pour out a mug. Reheat it gently so that the alcohol doesn’t cook out. (I was sipping on a mug while I was writing this post.) It is so warming (my house is freezing all the time) and it is a nice little winter ritual.

When you are picking a wine for this mulled wine recipe, choose something that is dry and not sweet. These pictures are from two separate occasions (no longer striving for perfect) and I used Chateau St. Michelle and Zum riesling. I would choose wines from Eastern Europe, and not American or New Zealand because those rieslings tend to be really sweet.

Stud an orange with cloves. Slice your lemons.

Pour in your wine. I like to simmer mine on the stove, but you could add everything to a slow cooker and set it on low and let it go for a few hours.

Add the sugar, citrus, and spices. How gorgeous does that pot look?

Let it simmer on the stove for 20-30 minutes before serving. It can hang out for a few hours, just be careful to keep it warm and not bubbling. It will cook off all of the alcohol.

(This is a half batch.)

Ladle into mulled wine into mugs and serve with lemon slices, a cinnamon stick, and a grating of fresh nutmeg.

Mulled white wine, otherwise known as a hug in a mug. Also, a delicious Christmas tree decorating beverage.

Mulled White Wine

Yield: a lot! (10-12)

My goof friend perfected her German Mulled Wine recipe and now I'm sharing it with you.

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Ingredients

• 1 orange
• 16 cloves
• 6 liters white wine (I like dry reisling. Auslese or a dry German wine is good.)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 lemon
• 8 cinnamon sticks, broken
• 14 whole allspice seeds
• 6 cardamom pods, crushed

For serving:

• fresh nutmeg
• lemon slices
• cinnamon sticks

Instructions

1. Stud the orange with cloves. Slice in half.
2. Add wine, sugar, and orange juice to a Dutch oven, large pot, or slow cooker.
3. Add studded orange, lemon, and spices.
4. Simmer on very low heat, stirring occasionally. If using slow cooker, set on LOW for 2 hours.