Slow Cooker Mulled Wine |

Nothing quite says Christmas like homemade Mulled Wine! This easy Slow Cooker Mulled Wine recipe is not only delicious, it’s quick and simple to make and will make your house smell incredible!

Hey there – it’s been a while, huh? Since I last posted, the blog has gone through a rebranding – Giraffes Can Bake is now A Tipsy Giraffe! Switching from baking to all cocktails has been a long time coming, and it’s been in full swing over on my Instagram for a few months now, and I have been having so much fun with it. I still bake of course, but my passion lies with mixology and I just want to share that with you and the world! Don’t worry, all my baking recipes are still available and always will be – you can find them here. 

I’ve posted a tonne of cocktail recipes over on my Instagram, and while I do plan to get them all up on the blog eventually it is going to take a little while as I don’t currently have my own computer (this is the main reason the blog has been quiet) – so do make sure you head over to my Instagram to check out what I have been getting up to and see all the amazing cocktails I have shared. I’ve also started doing cocktail videos, so checkout my IGTV page to see those.

Now we’ve done that little update, time to get on with my first new recipe on the blog since May! This Slow Cooker Mulled Wine is just incredible, you’re going to love it. It’s full of all the festive flavours of the season, dangerously boozy, and really easy to make. You literally just throw everything in your slow cooker, turn it on for an hour and BOOM – amazing Mulled Wine is ready to drink! My mum, aka my chief taste tester and now glamorous cocktail video assistant, absolutely adores this Slow Cooker Mulled Wine and we drink it a tad too fast whenever I make it.

The Crantini is another festive cocktail that everyone will love!

Slow Cooker Mulled Wine is perfect for parties and gatherings too, because it’s ready in just an hour and then you just switch it the “warm” setting and it stays warm all night long, ready for people to serve themselves as much as they like! You can also save it for later by storing it in the fridge and either reheating in the slow cooker or in the microwave. For a great mulled wine, you want to use a fruit, medium bodied wine that isn’t too sweet – a Cabernet is my choice, but a Merlot or Zinfandel is a great choice too. The wine doesn’t need to be super fancy or expensive, but don’t go quite for the bottom shelf either – somewhere in the middle, a wine you’d be okay drinking but not necessarily your favourite as you’ll be adding a tonne of flavour to it. Which brings me to my next point – you do not need a lot of spices for mulling, just a little goes a long way – if you add loads it’s just going to taste like potpourri! And you want to use whole spices, for the best flavour and texture (you don’t want the grit from ground spices).

 

So without further ado – let’s get mulling!

Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

A quick and easy mulled wine made in your slow cooker – perfect for festive parties!

Ingredients

• 2 bottles red wine – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Zinfandel are good choices
• 1 cup (240ml) Cointreau
• ¼ cup (60ml) Brandy
• 2 whole star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 whole cloves
• ¼ inch slice ginger
• ½ packed cup (100g) dark brown sugar
• Peel from half a lemon (with minimal pith)
• Peel from a whole orange (with minimal pith)
• Juice from half an orange (amount does not need to be exact so don’t worry about measuring)
• 5 dashes Jerry Thomas Own Decanter Bitters (optional)
• Glass: Mug
• Garnish: Whole star anise, cinnamon stick, and a slice of orange

Instructions

1. Add all your ingredients to your slow cooker, and put on low for one hour.
2. Keep on warm setting to keep at serving temperature

Notes

Will keep in fridge for 3 days, just reheat when ready to serve. But best served the day of making.