Fruit Vin Chaud

‘Tis the season to be jolly! As the Christmas season nears, I can’t stop thinking about one of my favorite holiday drinks: vin chaud, or mulled wine. Even better, a cup of delicious, warm fruit vin chaud is the very thing that would satisfy my festive mood.

Fruit Vin Chaud:

Although ingredients depend on country, there is a general agreement that mulled wine consists of a variety of spices and herbs. Vin chaud usually has cinnamon sticks, orange zest, cloves, and nutmeg. But what about in Asian countries? These spices can be pretty hard to find in East Asia (I swear I’ve never seen cloves or nutmeg at the supermarket back home in Korea).

That didn’t stop my mother when she decided to make vin chaud on her own. She came up with her own recipe: fruit vin chaud, with a whole new list of ingredients…

Mulled wine has been around forever (since the Romans!) and every region in Europe has their own version of the recipe. The term “vin chaud” is French for literally “hot wine.” Other names include German glühwein (“glazed wine”) and Bulgarian greyano vino “heated wine,” but we’ll just stick to vin chaud for now, since that’s the name I used when I first came across this drink.

My mother’s recipe for alcohol free fruit vin chaud is the perfect balance between sweet and tart; it’s also amazing on sore throats, in case you’re unfortunately sick during the holidays. Although vin chaud is usually an alcoholic drink, you can boil it long enough to make it alcohol-free since high heat will allow the alcohol to evaporate. Even then, vin chaud is absolutely mouthwatering, especially when you use good quality wine (the better the wine, the better the taste), and young adults under 21 (like myself) can enjoy it as well. A traditionally European adult beverage with an Asian, family-friendly twist is the perfect drink for the upcoming winter season.

Vin chaud is super easy to make, and fancy enough to impress your friends and family. Follow the recipe below to see how you can make a show-stopping drink this Christmas in just 45 minutes! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more delicious recipes.

Print Recipe

Fruit Vin Chaud

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Servings: 5 -6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of red wine
• 2 apples
• 1 Asian Korean pear
• 1 orange
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey optional

Instructions

• Rinse and cut your apples, pear, and orange into wedges or slices. Be sure to peel the skins as well.
• Place your fruit wedges into a large pot, and pour in a bottle of red wine. The fruitier the wine, the sweeter the vin chaud will taste.
• Turn the stove on at high heat for 3 minutes. Once you see wisps of steam just before the wine begins to boil, set the stove settings to low and let the pot simmer for 25 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, add sugar and honey, dissolving them in a spoon or ladle before adding them to the rest of the mixture.
• Turn the stove back on to high heat for 5 minutes, bringing the pot to a boil. During this time, be sure to stir the fruits evenly, crushing the oranges if you want more flavor. If you would still like to have alcohol in the drink, skip the boiling and continue to simmer at low heat during these 5 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy in your favorite mug! Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, but it will be best to consume within 2 weeks.