Mulling Spices

Take a sip of a steaming cup of mulled wine and you’re greeted with the warmth of mulling spices, an aromatic heat that works its way from the tip of your nose to your toes.

As long as there has been wine, there has been mulled wine, a hearth-warmed, well-spiced drink that, for centuries, everyone from the ancient Greeks to the Vikings enjoyed during the chilly winter months. The wine itself was not so important—in fact, the starter for mulled wine was often unpalatable and bitter. What transformed the simple vino into the magical hot brew was a highly aromatic spice blend and, occasionally, sugar. This alchemical mix of mulling spices has varied widely over the years, from age to age and culture to culture. Here, we trace it from its dubious medicinal origins to its sweet