Mulling Spices are a blend of fragrant spices that are added to warmed drinks for a comforting aroma and taste. A wonderful DIY holiday gift too. The most popular drinks using mulling spices are mulled apple cider and mulled wine.
Making your own spice mixes is a lot of fun. Not only is it easy but you save money when combining the ingredients yourself.
Mulling spices are a little different than the spice and seasoning mixes that I already have on the blog. They are different because this time around the mixes are used in nice hot drinks not in food recipes.
The spice mixture is added to wine or apples and cooked for a while at a very low temperature. Then you strain the liquid and sip a very aromatic and tasty drink.
Another way to handle the spices is to put 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a small cloth bag for every ½ gallon of wine. These small drawstring muslin bags work really well.
Add to the wine and cook. Doing it this way makes it so you only have to lift the bag out of the wine, and no straining is necessary.
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Ingredients
There are a variety of spices that can be used as additions to a basic mulling spice mixture. To me, these seven spices make the best combination and these are the spices I use in this recipe.
- Cinnamon Sticks- Freshly ground cinnamon sticks provide a sweet and spicy flavor.
- Cardamom Pods- Adds a fruity yet pungent aroma.
- Allspice Berries- For a sweet smoky flavor.
- Whole Cloves- Gives the spice mixture a deep spicy flavor.
- Star Anise Pods- Provide a slight licorice note to the spice mix.
- Dried Orange Peel - Adds a light citrus flavor. You can use store-bought or dry orange slices in the oven.
- Black Peppercorns- For a subtle kick.
How To Make Mulling Spices
- As in the photo above, you can see all of the spices separated.
- Next, you place the first five spices in a ziploc bag. Not the dried orange peel and the black peppercorns.
- In the photo below you'll see how to use your rolling pin and crush the spices together.
- Dump the bag of crushed spices into a bowl and add the dried orange peel and peppercorns. I used dried orange peel zest that I bought.
- That's pretty much it!
- Just mix it all together and place in a pretty jar for yourself or friends.
How To Use Mulling Spices
- Besides the mentioned mulled apple cider and mulled wine you can also use this mulling spices recipe in other ways.
- You can make your house smell wonderful for the holidays. Add a scoop of this spice mix to a pot and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Let it simmer while the water holds out (about 2 hours) and enjoy the fragrance. You can double and triple these amounts for the aroma to last hours.
- Crush the spices in a coffee grinder, I have a coffee grinder that is used specifically for spices, not coffee. You can substitute the ground spices for pumpkin pie and apple pie spice. Mix it in any recipe you have that calls for pumpkin pie spice such as pancakes, waffles, and muffins.
- Don't forget about gifting. Place it in one of those small muslin bags that I mentioned above and tie it up with a red string or ribbon.
As it gets cooler outside you'll be using this mixture more and more. It goes well with autumn and winter.
FAQ's
Storing your mixture in an airtight container is the way to go. Any jars that you have with a tight fitting lid would be perfect.
Traditionally, yes. This is how you can really enjoy the aroma of mulling spices. Room temperature mulled drinks will work also as they taste really good too.
Not for the mulling process. It is too fine and much of it will go through the strainer.
Yes, but it won't be quite as spicy.
This recipe makes 2 cups which isn't too much but if you think 1 cup will do you then cut the recipe in half , by all means, If you want to gift go ahead and double the recipe.
More seasoning and spice mixes
- Homemade Chili Seasoning will be used all year long. It's simple and adds a lot of flavors.
- Another mix that you will be using over and over again is Taco Seasoning. It even has a secret ingredient.
- Garam Masala has deep rich flavors and really dresses up the flavors of lentils, rice, and beans.
📋 Recipe
Mulling Spices Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ounces Cinnamon sticks
- ½ cup Cardamom pods
- ¼ cup Allspice berries
- ¼ cup Whole cloves
- ¼ cup Star anise pods
- ⅓ cup Dried orange peel - zest store-bought or dried in oven
- ¼ cup Black peppercorns
Instructions
- Place cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, allspice berries, cloves, and star anise in a large resealable bag.
- Gently crush with a rolling pin.
- Add orange peel and peppercorns to a bowl or bag and toss to mix well.
- Store in an airtight container.
Jen
We had mulled wine at an outdoor event a few nights back and it help us perfectly warm. Can’t wait to try this at home.
Jessica
Oh my gosh this has been SO helpful and turned out to be the perfect gift for my friend who has EVERYTHING! Thank you!
Toni
I'm so excited to make my own mulling spices! I buy them every year to make apple cider and hot wine but never have made them myself. A great gift too!