If you’re looking for a cozy way to warm up on these cold winter nights, look no further! This tasty mulled wine recipe is the perfect drink to make when the temperature drops. And at only a handful of ingredients, it’s ridiculously easy to make too! All you need is your favorite wine, honey sticks, water, and your spices and fresh fruits of choice. 

Here’s why you should start adding honey to your wine

Honey and wine might seem like an odd combination at first, but it’s actually a match made in heaven! The honey is a great way to balance out the tartness of the wine and sweeten the flavor of the spices. Of course, mulled wines are quite famous for their spiciness, so this is definitely a recipe that’s better suited for people with a sweet tooth or those who like to try new things. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you could even experiment with the taste of the mulled wine by adding different flavored honey sticks! If you’re nervous about the taste, try testing the flavored honey with only half a glass of warmed up wine. That way, you can get a good idea of whether or not you like it before committing to the full recipe and wasting a bottle. 

Simplicity at its finest

Besides being an innovative twist on the beloved traditional mulled wine recipe, this recipe also stands out for its simplicity. All you need is honey, whether it be from a jar or honey sticks for tea, your favorite red wine, water, and a couple of dried spices. Additionally, you could also add in some pieces of fresh fruit for an additional boost of flavor and sweetness. Overall, this recipe only calls for things that should be easily accessible at any grocery store- if they’re not all in your pantry already! 

How to make honey mulled wine

The ingredient list for this honey mulled wine recipe is as follows: 

• A bottle of red wine- Choose a wine that you know you’ll enjoy drinking! 
• Honey sticks– The amount depends on your desired level of sweetness. Generally, anywhere between ½ cup to ¾ cup worth of honey will work.
• ¾ cup of water 
• Spices- Add in whatever spices you’d like! Typically, people like to add in a combination of cinnamon sticks, whole black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods, allspice berries, and star anise. However, the key to this deliciously sweet mulled wine recipe is to be light-handed with the spices to avoid overpowering the honey. If you’re nervous to overdo the spice, a good example of what/how many spices to add is 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, and 10 whole black peppercorns, and a couple of cardamom pods. That’s it! 
• Fruit- Again, add whatever fruit your heart desires. Fruits like apples, oranges, and cranberries pair wonderfully with this recipe. Don’t forget to add in some orange zest and a peel for garnish! 

After you have your desired ingredients together, you can begin to actually make the mulled wine. Simply combine the wine, water, honey, spices, and fruits into a big enough pot and turn on the stove to medium-low heat. Continue warming the wine until it begins to simmer lightly. At that point, you can take the mulled wine off the heat and strain it into a container. If desired, garnish your glasses with more spices and fruit before serving. All that’s left is to enjoy!