Mulling Spice Mix

Hand-Blended · Two 1 oz Packets Per Package

Mulled wine and mulled cider are among the oldest and most beloved cold-weather traditions in the Western world — a practice of warming wine or cider with aromatic spices that traces its roots to ancient Rome, where the Romans heated wine with spices, honey, and herbs as both a warming drink and a way to improve the flavor of wine that had begun to turn. The Roman cookbook Apicius (c. 4th–5th century CE) contains recipes for spiced wine (conditum paradoxum) that would be recognizable to any modern mulled wine drinker. As the Roman Empire spread across Europe, the practice of spiced wine traveled with it — and through the medieval period, hippocras (spiced wine named after the physician Hippocrates, who was said to have strained it through a cloth called “Hippocrates’ sleeve”) became one of the most fashionable drinks of the European aristocracy.

In Britain, the tradition evolved into wassail — a spiced ale or cider drunk communally at Christmas and Twelfth Night, with the word “wassail” deriving from the Old Norse ves heill — “be in good health.” The wassail bowl was passed from person to person with the toast “wassail!” and the response “drinkhail!” — a tradition documented from at least the 13th century. The specific combination of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange peel that defines modern mulling spice blends reflects the golden age of the European spice trade — each ingredient arriving from a different corner of the world: cinnamon from Sri Lanka, cloves from the Maluku Islands (the original Spice Islands) of Indonesia, allspice from Jamaica, and orange peel from the Mediterranean.

Our Mulling Spice Mix is hand-blended with generous pieces of whole cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange peel — no powders, no fillers, just whole and coarsely cut spices that release their aromatic oils slowly as they simmer, filling your kitchen with the unmistakable fragrance of the season. Each package contains two 1 oz packets, each sufficient to mull a full gallon of apple cider, apple juice, or wine.

What’s Inside

• Cinnamon (Cinnamomum sp.) — warm, sweet, woody
• Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) — intensely aromatic, slightly peppery
• Allspice (Pimenta dioica) — warm, complex, combining notes of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg
• Orange Peel — bright, citrusy, fragrant

How to Use

Mulled Cider: Place one packet in a pot with 1 gallon of fresh apple cider or apple juice. Simmer gently over low heat for 20–30 minutes — do not boil. Sweeten with honey or brown sugar to taste. Serve warm. Mulled Wine: Place one packet in a pot with 1 bottle (750ml) of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Zinfandel work beautifully) plus ½ cup of orange juice and 2–3 tablespoons of honey or sugar. Warm gently over low heat for 20–30 minutes — never boil. Serve in mugs with a cinnamon stick garnish. Slow Cooker: Add one packet to a slow cooker with your cider or wine and cook on low for 2–4 hours for a hands-off approach perfect for entertaining. Stovetop Potpourri: Simmer a packet in a small pot of water to fill your home with the fragrance of the season — a natural, spice-based alternative to synthetic air fresheners.

Two 1 oz packets per package. Each packet mulls one gallon of cider, juice, or wine.