Vin Chaud Recipe: A Delicious Hot Mulled Wine for Holiday Gatherings

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If you are looking for a delicious festive drink to serve at your holiday gatherings, look no further than Vin Chaud, the traditional French mulled wine! This classic vin chaud recipe with winter spices will surely be a hit with your guests, making your holiday parties or New Year's Eve even more special.

Angled view of two glasses of vin chaud or mulled wine accented with fresh orange.

Several years ago, my husband and I first enjoyed vin chaud (hot wine) in Alsace, France, while visiting the French Christmas markets.

This hot alcoholic drink is similar to German glühwein or gluhwein. We have fond memories of strolling the Christkindlmarkets in Germany and Switzerland while carrying a mug of this warm wine. And now, I'm excited to share this recipe with you so you can enjoy this comforting drink on cold winter nights!

One of the best things about the holiday season is spending time with family and loved ones and enjoying wonderful conversations over delicious food and drinks. Plus, there’s nothing quite like the festive aromas wafting from your kitchen!

Vin Chaud is an excellent option for entertaining because it can easily be made ahead of time and kept warm in a slow cooker or on the stovetop. In addition, you can add extra spices such as ginger or allspice for additional flavor. With this recipe at your fingertips, entertaining has never been more effortless!

For more holiday drinks, try this Blood Orange French 75 or Meyer Lemon French 75. If you'd like to serve something non-alcoholic, check the variations below and this Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail.

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Ingredients
How to make this Vin Chaud
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Expert tip
FAQ
Recipe

Ingredients

To make this hot mulled wine recipe, you'll need these ingredients, including whole spices:

I recommend an inexpensive fruity red wine you enjoy drinking, such as Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and others. I recommend the site Barnivore to choose a vegan wine.
Apple cider - not to be confused with apple cider vinegar! I add apple cider because I enjoy the rich apple flavor, and it makes the vin chaud a little less alcoholic.
Orange juice - I used mandarin oranges to make fresh orange juice.
Organic cane sugar - to sweeten the vin chaud.
Whole spices - cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and green cardamom pods.

Glass of Vin Chaud with fresh orange garnish.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to make this Vin Chaud

It's simple to make this delicious French mulled wine recipe!

Begin by adding the apple cider, orange juice, organic cane sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and cardamom pods to a large saucepan on medium heat. Occasionally stir to dissolve the sugar.
Add wine once the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to low, keeping the mixture at a simmer for 20 minutes. You should see steam rising and occasional bubbling.
Strain the vin chaud through a fine mesh strainer and serve warm in mugs or glasses with handles, garnished with orange slices, star anise, or cinnamon sticks.

Cheers! As they say in France, Santé (or À votre santé), which means, to your health!

Hint: Do not boil the vin chaud; this will affect the flavor. If you see vigorous bubbling, reduce the heat.

Side angle view of two glasses of vin chaud or mulled wine on a wooden table.

Substitutions

You can easily adjust this Vin Chaud recipe to include what you have on hand.

Apple cider - use apple juice instead.
Orange juice - if you're short on orange juice, add some lemon juice or cranberry juice.
Organic cane sugar - use brown sugar or maple syrup.

Variations

Here are a couple of variations:

Kid-friendly - replace the wine with grape juice or apple cider.
Deluxe - add a half cup of your favorite brandy, Grand Marnier, amaretto, or a combination.
Flavor - add fresh cranberries, orange zest, sliced fresh ginger, vanilla extract, or a halved vanilla bean.
Spices - add whole allspice.

Equipment

To make vin chaud, you need the following:

a large pot or large saucepan
a spatula
a citrus squeezer
a fine-meshed strainer

Storage

Store the leftover vin chaud in the refrigerator in an airtight container, such as a mason jar, for two to three days.

Side angle of glass of vin chaud or mulled wine.

Expert tip

Choose a bottle of young fruity red wine that you enjoy drinking. I used a Beaujolais that costs less than $15 for a bottle.

FAQ

What does vin chaud mean?

It means mulled wine in French. It is also known as Swedish glögg, German gluhwein, or spiced wine, with many regional variations of the type of alcohol used, additions, and spices used.

Does vin chaud contain alcohol?

Yes, it contains alcohol because the wine is not boiled; it is simmered for about twenty minutes. This is not long enough for the alcohol to be boiled off.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! If you make this recipe, please take a moment to ★★★★★ star-rate it and leave a comment below. Also, follow me on Instagram and Facebook, and share your creation with me! Tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchenrecipes.

Recipe

Vin Chaud Recipe

Emily Miller

Looking for a delicious festive drink to serve at your holiday gatherings? Look no further than Vin Chaud; the traditional French mulled wine! This classic vin chaud recipe will surely be a hit with your guests, making your holiday parties even more special.

5 from 107 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Course Drinks

Cuisine French

Servings people

Calories 193.5 kcal

Equipment

citrus squeezer or citrus reamer
Large pot or Dutch oven
Spatula
Fine-meshed strainer

Ingredients

▢ ¾ cup apple cider
▢ ½ cup fresh orange juice or 8 small oranges, juiced
▢ ½ cup organic cane sugar
▢ 5 green cardamom pods slightly crushed
▢ 4 whole cloves
▢ 3 star anise
▢ 2 cinnamon sticks
▢ 1 bottle red wine fruity red wine such as Beaujolais
▢ Orange slices garnish, or cinnamon sticks

Instructions

Heat a large saucepan on medium heat. Add apple cider, orange juice, organic cane sugar, cardamom pods, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon sticks. Occasionally stir to dissolve the sugar.
Once the sugar has dissolved, add the red wine and reduce the heat to low or low-medium heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. You should see steam rising and occasional gentle bubbling. It should not boil.
Strain the vin chaud in a fine-meshed strainer. Serve warm in mugs or glasses with handles, garnished with orange slices, star anise, or cinnamon sticks. Enjoy!

Notes

Refrigerate any leftover vin chaud; strain first. Reheat before serving, on low to medium heat on the range.
Do not boil the vin chaud.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 193.5kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 0.3gFat: 0.1gSodium: 6.6mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 20.8g

Keyword entertaining, holiday, mulled wine

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Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.

Vin Chaud Recipe

Ingredients

How to make this Vin Chaud

Substitutions

Variations

Equipment

Storage

Expert tip

FAQ

Recipe