Schuster’s Mulled Wine Syrup. Spice syrup made from boiled-down mulled wine spices and brown cane sugar – for mulled wine, punch, and Christmas baking.

Schuster’s Mulled Wine Syrup is a spice syrup made from water, brown cane sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, lemon peel, orange peel, star anise, and cardamom by Schuster’s Spezialitäten from Untersteinbach in the Steigerwald. One part syrup to four to five parts wine makes mulled wine; mix it with juice for punch. Non-alcoholic, 250 ml in a glass bottle. Not a shrub, not a spice bag for steeping, not pre-made mulled wine – it is a syrup that lets you spice your own wine.

Mulled Wine Syrup from Schuster’s Spezialitäten is the one product from this Steigerwald manufactory that is made differently than their shrubs. Instead of steeping fruits in apple cider vinegar, the family here slow-boils classic mulled wine spices in water: cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange and lemon peel, star anise, and cardamom. The reason is the temperature. At 100 degrees Celsius (212°F), hard-shelled spices release their aromas much better than they do in wine, which should only be heated to about 70 degrees (158°F) when mulling. This is precisely the heat that a spice bag in a pot of wine lacks. The decoction is sweetened with brown cane sugar and bottled hot. The manufacturer calls the syrup the first liquid mulled wine spice. You measure, heat, taste – and you have a mulled wine that tastes of your wine and real spices.

Taste

The mulled wine syrup tastes spicy and festive: cinnamon is at the forefront, cloves and star anise provide warmth, cardamom adds a fine, almost citrus-like spice, and orange and lemon peel add freshness. The sweetness comes from brown cane sugar.

Straight from the bottle, the syrup is thick, sweet, and concentrated – that is how it is intended. The mixture only unfolds when added to warm wine. That is when it achieves the manufacturer's goal: a pleasant ratio of sweetness and acidity that allows the wine to remain identifiable. The spices complement the wine rather than overpowering it. All aromas originate from the spices and sugar, without any added flavorings. The syrup is preserved solely through the hot-bottling process.

With white wine, the mulled wine becomes lighter and fresher; with red wine, it becomes rounder and more robust. You determine the sweetness through the amount of syrup, and it is easy to adjust by adding a spoonful more or less. Those expecting a mulled wine where the spices completely mask the wine will find the syrup restrained – which is precisely its character.

Use

For mulled wine, heat four to five parts red or white wine with one part syrup to about 70 degrees (158°F); do not boil. Taste briefly, and it's ready. The manufacturer estimates about 160 ml of wine and three tablespoons of syrup per cup.

Other hot drinks can be made from the same bottle. For fruit-based mulled wine, use five parts red wine, one part syrup, and two parts juice. For a non-alcoholic Advent punch, mix four parts apple juice, one part orange juice, and one part syrup, and heat everything carefully. This is the punch for children and designated drivers. Those who like it hearty can try "Mulled Beer" by mixing five parts dark strong beer with one part syrup. A dash of syrup in hot milk creates a festive milk; in hot chocolate, a spicy cocoa; in a cappuccino, a touch of Christmas; and in cold sparkling wine, an aperitif for an Advent evening.

In the kitchen, use the syrup for cake and gingerbread glazes, for soaking cakes, as an ingredient in tiramisu, or over Greek yogurt with nuts. A spoonful in quark or whipped cream turns a simple dessert into a festive one.

Store the bottle in a cool, dark place. According to the manufacturer, the syrup is shelf-stable for three years when closed, and even an opened bottle will survive the entire Christmas season without refrigeration.

Our Tip: If there is some left over after Christmas, boil it briefly, pour it hot into a small, clean bottle, and seal it immediately. According to the manufacturer, this will keep the syrup until the next season.

Origin

The mulled wine syrup is an invention of Gabi Schuster. To make mulled wine with real spices, she simply boiled the spices in water, initially just for family and friends. Today, her recipe is bottled by the bottle at the Schuster’s Spezialitäten manufactory in Untersteinbach.

Untersteinbach is part of the Rauhenebrach municipality in the Haßberge district, in the heart of the Steigerwald in Franconia. Johannes and Hanna Schuster run a small family manufactory there with a visible production area, a farm shop, and tasting tours. Hanna Schuster, a trained food technologist, brought the idea for the shrub back from a semester abroad in Pennsylvania and introduced the first varieties in 2012; the mulled wine syrup is the family’s winter product. According to the manufacturer, each bottle is filled by hand, labeled, and individually decorated. The syrup has also found fans abroad, especially in the French Alps.

You can find more about the family, the shrubs, and the manufactory in the Steigerwald on our Schuster’s Shrub page.

For whom

This mulled wine syrup is the perfect bottle for anyone who prefers to make their mulled wine on an Advent Sunday from their own wine rather than from a carton. One bottle will spice one to one and a quarter liters of wine. It fits perfectly at the family kitchen table, for Advent coffee with neighbors, and as a gift that can be put to immediate use. Using juice instead of wine gives children and drivers the same punch in their glass.

Those who enjoy spices in the summer and on their plate will find the counterpart in the Shrub Oriental Spice Syrup, which is based on apple cider vinegar and perfect for roasted vegetables and couscous. For the warmer months, the Raspberry Shrub Syrup is available, which you can use to mix lemonade and punch. You can find more syrups in our Syrup category. This syrup is not suitable for those looking for a pre-made mulled wine to heat up – you bring the wine or juice yourself.

Boiled-down spices, brown cane sugar, and Gabi Schuster’s recipe – the syrup from the Steigerwald that lets you spice your own mulled wine and punch.