Glass of mulled wine with an orange slice, cozy setting
📅 October 31, 2026 ⏱ 8 min 🏷 Seasonal ✏️ Gustave Montclair
Seasonal · Cocktails & Wine

Autumn Cocktails and Mulled Wine: The Season's Comforting Recipes

Mulled wine, spiced punch, apple-cinnamon cocktail, Irish Coffee: 4 recipes to warm up autumn evenings.

Gustave Montclair
Tableware Experts
Published on October 31, 2026
🔖 Seasonal recipes

The essentials, in short

In short

Mulled wine: red wine, citrus, and spices gently heated — served in a thick, heat-resistant wine glass.

Spiced punch: ideal for entertaining a crowd, served in sturdy cocktail glasses.

Apple-cinnamon cocktail and Irish Coffee: two safe bets for a more intimate evening.

Between the crispness of summer cocktails and the dark spirits of winter, autumn calls for in-between drinks: warm or lightly spiced, designed to warm you up without feeling heavy. Here are four simple recipes to accompany this seasonal transition.

Homemade mulled wine, simple and effective

Classic mulled wine (serves 4)

Thick, heat-resistant wine glass

Ingredients: 1 bottle of full-bodied red wine, 1 orange cut into slices, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves, 2 star anise, 2 tbsp brown sugar (adjust to taste).

Method: pour the wine into a saucepan with the spices and orange. Heat gently, never letting it boil (alcohol evaporates above 78°C/172°F, which flattens the flavor). Let it infuse for 15 minutes over very low heat, then strain before serving.

Choosing the right glass matters more than you'd think here: a glass that's too thin can crack on contact with a hot liquid. Favor a glass with a thick base, designed to withstand temperature swings.

Glass of mulled wine surrounded by spices, cinnamon, and citrus zest

Spiced punch for entertaining

Spiced apple-citrus punch (serves 6-8)

Sturdy cocktail glasses

Ingredients: 1 liter apple juice, 500ml amber rum (optional, for a non-alcoholic version), 1 lemon and 1 orange in slices, 3 cinnamon sticks, a few cloves.

Method: heat the apple juice with the spices and citrus for 10 minutes over low heat. Add the rum off the heat to avoid evaporating the alcohol, then serve directly into the glasses.

Entertaining a crowd: prepare the punch ahead of time and keep it warm in the saucepan over very low heat rather than reheating it several times, which alters the citrus and spice aromas.

The apple-cinnamon cocktail

Apple-cinnamon cocktail (serves 1)

Stemmed cocktail glass

Ingredients: 50ml whisky or bourbon, 80ml apple juice, 1 tsp cinnamon syrup (or a pinch of ground cinnamon), ice, an apple slice for garnish.

Method: pour all the ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake for 10 seconds, then strain into the glass. Garnish with a thin apple slice on the rim.

Unlike the previous two, this cocktail is served cold: a classic cocktail glass works perfectly, with no need for heat resistance.

Irish Coffee, the comforting classic

Irish Coffee (serves 1)

Heat-resistant stemmed glass

Ingredients: 40ml Irish whiskey, 120ml freshly brewed hot coffee, 1 tsp brown sugar, lightly whipped heavy cream.

Method: dissolve the sugar in the hot coffee, add the whiskey, then gently pour the whipped cream over the back of a spoon so it floats on the surface without mixing in.

As with mulled wine, a thick-based glass is essential to withstand the scalding coffee without risk of thermal shock.

🎯Expert selectionVetted by our tableware experts
🚚Careful shippingSecure packaging for your precious pieces
🔄Satisfaction guaranteed14 days to change your mind
📞7/7 serviceOur team answers your questions

To stock your autumn bar, our wine glasses and cocktail glasses collections cover all of these uses.

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

Which glass should I use for mulled wine?
A thick-based wine glass, designed to withstand temperature swings: a glass that's too thin risks cracking on contact with the hot liquid.
How do I decorate a cocktail glass for autumn?
An apple or citrus slice, a cinnamon stick placed in the glass, or a flamed orange zest are enough to give an effortless autumn touch.
How do you sugar the rim of a cocktail glass?
Moisten the rim of the glass with a lemon slice, then dip it into a plate of brown sugar or ground cinnamon for an even rim.
Can you boil mulled wine?
No, it's best to avoid it: alcohol evaporates above 78°C (172°F), which flattens the flavor. Gentle heating without boiling preserves the aromas better.
How do you keep a punch warm throughout an evening?
Keep it over very low heat in its saucepan rather than reheating it several times, which preserves the citrus and spice aromas.