Mulled gin
Apple juice, orange and winter spices warmed gently, with gin stirred in at the end.
- Time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Mug
- Strength
- 1.5 UK units
How to make mulled gin
- Warm the juice and spices. Put the apple juice, one sliced orange, the cinnamon, star anise, cloves and sugar in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Infuse without boiling. Keep the heat low and let it steam for 15 minutes, until the kitchen smells of spice. Do not let it boil.
- Take it off the heat and taste. Turn off the heat. Taste the juice and add a little more sugar if you want it sweeter.
- Stir in the gin. Add the gin and stir once. The pan should be hot to touch but not bubbling.
- Ladle and serve. Ladle into mugs, making sure each one gets a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick if you like. Serve straight away.
- Glass
- MugNo mug? Any heatproof glass or cup.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- An orange slice and a cinnamon stick in each mugOr: Just an orange slice.
What you need to make mulled gin
Kit
Bottles we'd use
- London dry ginA plain, mid-priced gin is right here; the spices will cover anything delicate.Find it on Amazon
- Cloudy apple juicePressed, cloudy juice gives more body than the clear kind.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The mulled gin story
Mulled gin is a modern twist on mulled wine, and it has become a Christmas regular in UK pubs and kitchens. There is no single origin: it is the same idea of spiced, warm drink as mulled wine, with gin standing in for the wine.
The one rule is to add the gin off the heat. Alcohol boils away at a lower temperature than water, so gin added to a bubbling pan loses much of its strength and flavour. Warm the spiced juice first, let it infuse, then stir the gin in when it is steaming but not boiling.
Mulled gin: your questions answered
What is in mulled gin?
Mulled gin is made with 750 ml cloudy apple juice, 300 ml gin, 2 oranges, 3 cinnamon sticks, 3 star anise, 8 cloves and 50 g soft brown sugar, which makes 8 glasses. Garnish: an orange slice and a cinnamon stick in each mug.
How strong is mulled gin?
Made to this recipe, mulled gin contains about 1.5 UK units of alcohol per glass. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve mulled gin in?
Serve mulled gin in a mug. No mug? Any heatproof glass or cup.
