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Yes, it’s winter in Paris. And when the temperature drops, folks move inside the cafés to escape the cold, except for the fumeurs, who are remarkably hardy and seemingly immune to the chill outside, while they puff away on café terraces. We’re all bundled up, shivering on the sidewalks, lured into the cafés with chalkboards scrawled with the words, Vin chaud.

Vin chaud (hot mulled wine) is somewhat of an anomaly in a country where wine is revered, as the idea of “heated wine”, infused with spices, is a curious paradox. I always preferred my wine as it is, right from the bottle, but during the blisteringly cold winter in Paris, I discovered the appeal of the warm soothing drink, tinged with the spices of winter, and I wanted to share it with you, too.

For those folks who say that you should “always use the best wine you can afford…even for cooking,” I can’t speak for everyone,  but I can’t imagine anyone in France making vin chaud with anything but inexpensive wine. Years ago a famous French chef gave me his recipe for vin de pêche (peach leaf wine), and when I asked him which wine he recommended, he said, “…use the cheapest wine you can find. Just pour that in.”

I follow his advice with mulled wine too; once you’ve heated the wine with the spices, any nuances in a fine wine would get steamed away. The French don’t love cinnamon as much as Americans do, so I left it out. Of course, it’s a free country – assuming you live in a free country – so you can spice it up as you like and there’s no problem if you want to add a cinnamon stick or a pinch of ground cinnamon to the spice mix.

To give the mulled wine a little zip, I used ginger eau-de-vie, which I love because of its spiciness. You might have trouble finding it so any eau-de-vie, such as Pear William, will work well. Another option is to use Cognac or brandy, or a pour of port, to fortify things.

Vin chaud: Hot Mulled Wine

At some cafes in France, the spices are left in, and the mulled wine it served that way. (People just drink around them.) Elsewhere, you may want to alert guests that there are spices in there, or strain them out before serving. Any fruity red wine would work, such as merlot, Gamay, Grenache, or Pinot noir. Fortifying the wine with eau-de-vie is a nice touch, and that too, can be swapped out with another favorite liqueur, such as brandy or port, although it can also be left out.
Servings 4 servings
  • 1 bottle (75cl) fruity red wine
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 2 slices fresh ginger, (no need to peel)
  • 3 green cardamom pods, gently crushed
  • 3 whole cloves
  • generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) mild-flavored honey
  • optional: 1/4 cup (60ml) Pear Williams, or another eau-de-vie, or Cognac, brandy or port
  • Pour the wine into a nonreactive saucepan. Add the spices and honey, and bring to simmer. Turn off heat, and let stand 15 minutes.
  • Reheat the wine until it’s warm and steamy, turn off the heat, and add the eau-de-vie or brandy, if using. Pour the wine into heat-resistant glasses to serve.

Notes

Note: Two excellent American producers of Pear William and other eaux-de-vie are Clear Creek and St. Georges.

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77 comments

    • Dina

    I can’t live without this come winter time. You should go to a Weihnachtsmarkt in Germany to understand how amazing, important & necessary this is in winter!! :))))

    • Three-Cookies

    Scandinavian mulled wine has almonds and raisins. Surprised to see it left out. Also surprised that white wine can be used.I wonder whether the French came up with this recipe as a way to use up leftover cheap wine rather than appreciate mulled wine for what it is

    • Sarahb1313

    As a Dane, this is de rigueur for the season!

    I do like the omission of Cinamon!

    • Archena

    Alcohol is a no-no and I was just thinking can i use Red Grape juice here?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      If you want to make a Hot grape juice, just heat it up with the spices the same way. I would add honey to taste as grape juices vary in natural sweetness.

    • Loulou in France

    I think you read my mind. Was considering making some all weekend and never got around to it. Now I will have to!

    • Maja

    You’re killing me! I just ate last of your fantastic Baci di dama made yesterday (gasp!) and now this… Making it on Friday, definitely :)

    • Paola

    Thank you very much David for posting this!
    I am trying to get in the Xmas mood and wanted to prepare the Mulled wine tonight for my husband, and me of course!
    I must now run and get a tree….

    • Shere

    Oh to be in France for Christmas. I’ll make vin chaud and dream about it…

    • Aude

    I made this last night! Great minds…
    I’ve never seen vin chaud done with white wine. That seems weird and although it might be good, its definitely not a French thing.
    Also, cheap wine, absolutely! You won’t taste the wine at all. Keep the good wine and enjoy it as it is.

    • Tony

    Nope, not a fan. I’ve tried in Prague, Nuremberg, Munich, Berlin, Los Angeles AND London but just can’t. But then I don’t like Mince Pie either. I’ll drink eggnog instead.

    • Kate

    I haven’t found ginger eau-de-vie in the US except for a bottle that is $170.00 made by Reisetbauer. I did find pear eau-de-vie available mostly made on the west coast. Do you know of a source in the US for ginger eau-de-vie? Here is a buying guide from Food & Wine for top Eau-de-vie producers…

    http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/buying-guide-top-eau-de-vie-producers

    • kristen @thekaleproject

    I told my husband this weekend that I also find vin chaud in France ironic because you buy it outside in the Christmas markets where there are a million French people pushing and bumping into you – leaving the vin chaud everywhere but the cup. So I’m glad you shared this because after a disastrous vin chaud Saturday evening, I said that from now on I’m making vin chaud at home – and now I can.

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    kate: The two distillers that I know in the US, Clear Creek and St George might have something similar. I wrote a post about how to find things/foods mentioned on the site because I don’t know what’s often available in other place (which is linked at the end of this post) so perhaps you can check out some of my suggestions there to help you find it.

    (I used to buy it in the states and don’t think I paid more than $50/bottle, although with the exchange rate, it is likely more, although $170 seems excessive.)

    kristen: I tend to avoid anything with crowds in Paris for that reason. Hope your dry cleaning bill wasn’t insane ; )

    • Ashley of Ashley Abroad

    I tried vin chaud the other day at the La Defense Christmas market and it kind of tasted like potpurri boiled in hot wine. But I’d be willing to give it another shot, especially considering it would be nice to drink a hot beverage this winter!

    • Susan

    I’ll be sampling Glühwein, both red and white, at the Frankfurt Christmas market this weekend. Must try the French versions after I get back to Paris, just for scientific comparison of course.

    Scandinavian Glögg, BTW, includes a generous proportion of brandy and/or aquavit as well as orange slices. Scandinavia is colder, so I guess glögg need to be stronger.

    Either way, cheers!

    • Merisi in Vienna

    Once December rolls around, small wooden huts sprout throughout the pedestrian areas in downtown Vienna and the hardy Viennese enjoy happy hour outdoors, with a glass – or more – of hot mulled wine. Happy hours lasts into late evening, no matter how low temperatures fall.

    • Allie

    So excited that this recipe doesn’t include cinnamon or orange peel…I’m looking forward to trying it.

    • Fanny

    Mulled wine which as previously mentioned is a Scandinavian tradition and made with vodka, and brandy sometimes madeira is added to the red wine. It is called Glögg.You can now buy a white version in Sweden which tastes as good.

    The recipe I use is from 1760 using red wine though.

    • Robert

    The older I get, the less I like cinnamon.
    Happy to see it’s omitted in your recipe.

    • Cathy

    I bought 2 bottles from a Lidl supermarket in London a couple of days ago. If I need some in an emergency and have leftover red wine, which I have stored in a fridge, I will put some in a mug, add some spices including a cinnamon stick and microwave. No overpowering taste of cinnamon.

    • Shelly Murphy

    Accidently opened a bottle of red wine?? Cute. And I think I spy the debated and lovely brick wall in the background, right? It is curious how familiar I am/we are with your kitchen…the wonder of the internet. I hope you and yours have a peaceful and joyous holiday season.

    • Evelyn M.

    Can you clarify if te cardamom is supposed to be left in the pod, cracked or crushed up? My husband and I disagree on hoe to handle this spice. Also, do you mash up the ginger slices in any way or just leave them as is?

    • Jessika

    What is bitingly cold in Paris?
    We had -18°C this morning, never rose above -15° during the cay.

    • Jessika

    And living in Sweden, glögg-season starts late november and carries out through december (I don’t really liking glögg that much unless it’s homemade, commercial stuff is too sweet.). You should try to burn off sugar into it as well. Few do, 50 yrs ago it was required.

    • Poshepoche

    Hi David, like the recipe ~ sans ginger for me, and probably with orange peel en plus ~ oddly enough I bought a “melange pour vin chaud” (produced by a French company) in my local Lidl’s here in the Charente, and it includes cinnamon, ginger, coriander, and various other unspecified spices. The pack cost me the princely sum of 1euro and at 100 grams is enough for a whole neighbourhood of mulled wine ~ one of the better ideas for the winter season!

    • David M

    “Kate: The two distillers that I know in the US, Bear Creek and St George might have something similar.”

    David — it is “Clear Creek” not “Bear Creek.” Happily, the distillery is just a few blocks away from me in Portland, Oregon.

    Thank you for the clarification. I am not at home at my desk and was responding to commenters early in the morning and I’m friends with Jorg at St George, but wanted for give the folks in Oregon a shout-out, too. -dl

    • Ruthy @ omeletta

    Is it silly that I have heard of “vin chaud” but since I speak basically no French I never knew what it actually meant? :) Now i know, so thanks! And I love love love food52- always such bang on recipes. There is little better than an icy cold day and a glass/mug of hot mulled wine (with cinnamon, since I am an overbearing American) I’m absolutely filing this one away. Can’t wait.

    • Amy

    My husband (who’s French) and I have been making mulled wine at every opportunity! We like to simmer the spices (including cinnamon… does that make him a bad Frenchman?) with an orange peel and a small amount of the wine before pouring in the rest of the bottle.

    And a Christmas tip: mulled wine spices wrapped up in cheesecloth packets and paired with a few bottles of wine—we go for Trader Joe’s two buck chuck—makes an easy gift.

    • Berit

    Glühwein all the way, although the one on the Leipzig Christmas Market tastes like crap :D

    • Turmericnspice

    Seems like sth I will absolutely love. I can almost smell the aroma of the sweet wine and the spices. I think it will be hard for me to omit cinnamon, even thou its strong !!

    • Stephanie

    I totally agree with the French about cinnamon!

    And I love mulled wine so I will be making this very soon! xo

    • suedoise

    I thought I was the only Swede in David´s Paris fan club but when it comes to mulled wine there is quite a congregation.
    Where I live, along the utterly romantic park Buttes Chaumont in the 19 th the brasseries around it serve vin chaud with no fancy spices charging between 3 and 4 euros for the concoction.
    A large glass of very hot red wine comes with a slice of orange or lemon and
    using little cinnamon and cardamom. C´est tout, that is all.
    I always order mine without any sweetening (sugar or honey) which I can recommend, not sour at all. I have also had it with merely a slice of orange and it is still wonderful. There is some magic chemistry taking place when red wine is heated.
    .

    • Torgny

    David, being from Sweden as well, I have to recommend that you try your vin chaud the Swedish way: add a dried orange peel when heating it and add some blanched almonds and dried raisins (or currants) to your glass when serving it (in Sweden the drink is served with a small spoon to eat the nuts and fruit with). It combines a drink and a snack in one!

    And don’t heat the wine too much or you will simply boil off the alcohol, and that would be a shame!

    • Elaine

    When I was young and had a bad cold or flu, my mother would make me drink hot wine (I don’t think she added any spices) and sent me to bed. Yes, I slept off whatever was ailing me,but I still can’t even think about drinking hot wine.

    • Lynnette

    This is our second Christmas in Toulouse. Friday evening for the opening of the marchés de Noël, we had a celebratory cup of vin chaud and a barquette of aligot. And yes, it can be quite a feat wending one’s way through the masses holding a plastic cup of hot wine. Given that the vin chaud was 2,50€ and the aligot was 6,50€, we now make our own. My 17-year old son has become an expert in cooking up aligot. It’s our French comfort food.

    • Tracy

    I’ve made mulled wine before but always with cinnamon and never considered how overpowering the cinnamon can be, I’m excited to try this version.

    • Gavrielle

    Nothing to do with mulled wine (which sounds delicious), but I thought you might like to know you may have started a meatball craze in New Zealand:). We don’t have meatball sandwiches as part of our culture, so when I served your recipe to dinner guests at the weekend it was the first time they’d tasted them. “Hit” is an understatement. I’d wrapped them in paper, and even though they’d eaten too much they kept unwrapping them for another bite. I had to promise them they could take the leftovers home. Looking again into that food truck idea….

    • Carolyn Z

    For some of us who can’t drink, try apple cider mulled in a similar way warmed with spices of your choice including cinnamon and nutmeg. I know this isn’t French. Thanks for the ideas. Trader Joe’s has a nice apple cider now for the holidays.

    • Tamar Amidon

    The one reason I have 2 crockpots in the house is so I can have Vin Chaud in one and mulled cider in the other. Makes a holiday party warm and toasty :-)

    • Sharyn Dimmick

    Ginger eau de vie sounds delightful, David — I’m sure it takes mulled wine to another level. I like the star anise you have used as well: this might be enough for me to give mulled wine another try. Thanks.

    • Musing Mar

    This sounds perfect for a cold winter afternoon! I have a Christmas open house coming up soon, and I think this will be a hit with my guests.

    • Sasha

    I’ve keep hearing about this stuff but have never had it before. I look forward it to having it in Paris next month!
    Aren’t les terrasses heated by those outdoor lamps??

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Some of the terraces in Paris are heated but mostly in the chic-er cafés. The city had considered banning those outdoor heaters, because they aren’t exactly ecological, but since so many people in Paris smoke, I think the cafés really fought to keep the right to have them.

      Still, many of the smokers congregate outside of the cafés in the middle of the winter, heaters or not, to smoke. (Which has created another problem, which is noise, because at night, the smokers outside tend to chat – and neighbors aren’t so happy about the loud noise around the cafés and bars at night.)

    • Anna

    oh my goodness i do not drink. but this sounds so wonderful maybe i’ll just start.

    • Explody Full

    I love mulled wine I was expecting to feast on mulled wine over Christmas in London but we are unexpectedly in Australia and will be spending Christmas in Brisbane. I have just decided that regardless of the heat I am going to make everyone mulled wine. It is surprising how many people in Australia have never even heard of mulled wine. Sad for them.

    • Michael Nielsen

    Here in Denmark we have a traditional drink along the same lines: glögg. Again made with warm red wine, but added are slices of almonds and raisins soaked for days prior in either port, cognac or snaps. Snaps is added shortly before serving. It’ll keep you warm in the scandinavian winter :)

    • Katerina

    In Greece in the island of Amorgos they make something which is calle “rakomelo” and means raki+honey. Raki is a strong spirit similar to grappa and is infused with honey and spices like cinnamon. Then just before you drink it you heat it up and it is so good especially during winter.

    • Dina

    Why do people hate cinnamon? :( I think it’s because the more easily available is the Indonesian cinnamon. The Ceylon one is far more subtle, more fruity, has a more exotic taste & smell. If everyone had that, I doubt people would turn their nose away at cinnamon. I don’t know, I love cinnamon either way! For me, rice pudding is just a vehicle for cinnamon. LOL
    And thanks to everyone’s comments, now I want Glögg, German Glühwein, mulled mead and warm apple cider. Thanks everyone. LOL

    • Coco Marie

    Can’t wait to try out the recipe! I was looking for a good vin chaud recipe to make on my return to the states so hopefully this works. Thanks!

    • La Rêveuse

    Thank you! I have missed this since we came home, and being allergic to cinnamon and pine trees, this time of year is tough for me in the US. Having my own “spiced” recipes is very comforting! I miss Paris, kiss her for me…

    • Axelle the french cook

    Did you like it ? I totally agrre with what you say about cheap wines. When I watch some american cooking show, sometimes, they say to use a good wine for … and … WHile at home, I just use a normal one :)
    My father told me : “You can have a good wine for 4 euros a bottle. 6 euros is a good good wine. Most expensive ? It’s a Christmas gift.”
    And he’s right : I’ll offer him a good good GOOD bottle of wine for Xmas.

    • McKenzie

    Hello! I adore your blog. I’m wondering, would bourbon be too strong of a flavor to use instead of the ginger liquor? Or what about cherry liquor? Thanks! I can’t wait to try this.

    • Susan

    Glad to hear a confirmation of my opinion that cinnamon has the tendency to take over the other flavors in most recipes. I thought that maybe I was just overly sensitive to it. I do like it a lot, it’s just a little goes a long way for me. I know I’m almost alone in that opinion as so many just love it’s flavor and add it so liberally. I’m happy to try this version of vin chaud as I’ve always avoided it because of the excessive amount of cinnamon used.

    • The 3 F’s

    Winter is the best time for all things food and drink. The cold outside mixed with the warmth of a mulled drink is one of the best juxtapositions of life. I love this recipe and will attempt it for our holiday party. Cheers!

    • Joan

    I’ve made vin chaud as inspired by Jacques Pepin. Evidently it was common in the kitchens of his childhood, near Lyon. Of course, the wine was local :)

    Heat red wine in a saucepan along with one tablespoonful sugar per mugful…squeeze a wedge of lemon into the mug, drop lemon in…pour wine over.

    Warm and simple…real…in a busy, home kitchen.

    Enjoy.

    • Good Food Good Friends

    I know what I’m getting all my friends for Christmas, a bottle of wine and an pack of all these ingredients with this recipe. I am sure they will love it! Thank you, my holiday shopping is complete!

    • The Food Hound

    I’m surprised this version doesn’t contain orange? I thought that was a pretty universal flavor in gluhwein/vin chaud/glogg? I have a gluhwein party every year in December- great night, ROUGH morning afterwards :)

    • Blaine Walker

    Ginger=eau-de-vie…. There’s a ‘stocking stuffer’. :)

    • Lauretta

    FOR ARCHENA
    In the north of Italy this is a very common drink in winter. If you don’t want an alcholic drink, you follow David indications but at the end turn off heat and with a lighter you burn the alchol that is in the wine. It will takes you few seconds. Try it!!!

    • Olga

    Back in Ukraine, I remember making glintwein the way you described above your vin chaud. We added bay leaf also along with the spices above. Thanks for reminding me about this great entertaining option for the coming winter days. Happy holidays!

    • Rick

    Sounds delicious on a cold rainy morning in San Francisco

    • Julia

    Just add a slice of orange…

    • farm to table geek

    cozy bed, a fantastic book (preferably sweet life in paris!), vin chaud… what more could a girl want?

    • Dominique

    This looks lovely. I think it would make a great little christmas gift to put the honey and spices in a small jar, all ready to go. I have a question: if I do that, do you think the fresh ginger would go bad over time? Would it make sense to replace with sliced candied ginger to be safe, or do you think it would be fine in the fridge for a few weeks with the fresh?

    • Erin

    a simple recipe & I like the small amount of honey (as opposed to a lot of sugar). Thanks.

    • Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy

    Vin chaud saved my life this last week in Paris – it was freezing and I forgot my gloves! Luckily several glasses kept me warm.

    • Veronica of Muy Bueno

    Having lived here in coooold Germany for just a little over one year, I have quickly come to love warm wine. I love cinnamon, but am intrigued with the idea of leaving it out of this recipe. I have a some left over red wine just waiting for this taste test. Gracias for sharing!

    • Kelley

    The annual Christmas market has opened up here in Tokyo and I’ve been drinking a few cups of gluhwein every other day on my way home from work. Love it done with blueberry wine like the Germans do! I’ve also seen a hot apple wine done the same way. I prefer the red wine/blueberry wine mix, but the clear apple wine is a popular drink here as well. To me gluhwein = Christmas. I couldn’t do without it anymore than I could do without homemade eggnog!

    • lapiubelladitutte

    I would love some of that right now, winter, cold and all in Rome!

    • Dominique

    I’d like to upgrade my previous comment from ‘this sounds lovely’ to ‘this is delicious!’
    I’m having some right now, and it is mulled happiness in a cup. Thanks!

    • Eve Felder

    Hi David,

    Happy holidays. Trying to find your blog where you talked about a site to get Netflix internationally.

    Love from Singapore

    • Helen in CA

    What is meant by an entire star anise?

    I’ve only seen them in individual “stars” (look like stars, that is). Thanks

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      An “entire” means “whole”, so use one entire star anise, rather than one of the individual pods on the star.

    • Sonal

    We were in Paris for a short holiday last month and had vin chaud at every opportunity. One of the best we had was at the Cafe Les Arts et Metiers near the museum of the same name (also highly recommended).

    • Patti Pendexter

    I love red wine…never heard of or thought about mulled red wine. I will be trying this recipe.

    • Mike Smith

    Tis the season. I learned a similar recipe (no star anise) from a French friend who always put apple slices and a large strip of orange peel in the mix. Give the apple slices to the kids as a treat and they go right to sleep. Neat trick.

A

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