Want to kick up your winter beverages? Why not make your own mulling spices? Mulling spices are a great way to add warmth and flavor to your holiday drinks. This homemade spice blend will make you feel like the perfect hostess of the season when served to family and friends!
This recipe is easy-to-follow and can be used for any occasion, not just Thanksgiving and Christmas, but for any fall or winter celebration. The best part about these spices is that they last a long time if stored properly, so don’t worry about running out of them this time of year. You can store them in an airtight jar or container for up to 6 months. Let’s get started with this easy recipe that’s perfect for entertaining and gift giving!
Mulling Spices Health Benefits
Using a mulling spice blend to make your favorite cozy fall and winter beverage is an easy way of adding complexity, aroma, and warmth, as well as adding an immune boosting benefit. The volitile essential oils in cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom are antimicrobial which contribute to their ability to boosy our body’s immune system and help fight colds and flus. These types of warming spices also help to build internal heat to support healthy digestion.
So, in late fall and winter, when there is less diversity of fresh foods,consider adding these spices to your apple cider, hard cider, wine or tea to help keep your body healthy.
This recipe makes enough mulling spices to spice 6 – 8 cups of cider or wine.
Tip* Add fresh ginger and orange slices for more spice and tang. For less sweet beverages like wines and hard cider, you may want to add some honey as well.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons anise seeds or star anise
- 1 teaspoon whole or slightly crushed cloves
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon orange zest or zest from 1 fresh medium sized orange
- 1 teaspoon astragalus
- 1 teaspoon rose hips
- 1/2 crushed or zested nutmeg seed
- 1/4 vanalla bean or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Mulling Instructions
- Combine 6 – 8 cups of cold apple cider, hard cider, or wine, along with mulling spices in a large saucepan with a lid.
- Heat the mixture slowly until it’s steaming, but NOT boiling.
- Let the spices extract in the liquid for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, you can strain the hot liquid into mugs for serving.
- If using hard cider or wine, add one tablespoon of honey and stir well into each cup before serving.
*Tip – If making for a crowd, the recipe can be doubled and a crockpot used to keep your mulled beverage hot. Simply place your spices in a square of cheese cloth, tied up with a string and left to infuse with the liquid (cider or wine) in the crockpot. No cheesecloth? That’s okay, you can use a paper coffee filter, tied with string as well.
Not only are these mulling spices the perfect addition to your winter drinks, but they also make the perfect gift idea for hostess gifts, teacher gifts, or secret santa gifts this winter season.
If you plan on making up a batch of these mulling spices for gift giving, I have made up a free printable instruction tag for you to print and add to the jar.
