The Bishop's Wine recipe
per glass, choose 6 for a bottle
Push the cloves into the orange; this keeps them together so you can remove them all at once later.
Put the wine, sugar, orange, and cinnamon stick in a pan, and grate a pinch of nutmeg over it.
Heat over low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved; do not let the wine boil, around 70 degrees is warm enough.
Put the lid on the pan, let it steep for 25 minutes, and taste to see if it needs more sugar.
Rinse a heatproof glass with hot water and pour in the warm Bishop's Wine, without the spices.
What did you think of this recipe?
One click on a star is enough. If you'd like to add something, we'll read it first before it appears here.
Save this recipe
Send the Bishop's Wine recipe to your own email, so you have it handy when you make it. You'll also receive a €5 discount code when spending €50 or more, for the matching glasses.
The story
Warm wine with spices has been known in Europe for centuries, but the name bishop comes from Germany and England. In eighteenth-century Germany, people drank Bischof: red wine with grated bitter orange peel and sugar, sometimes served from an earthenware bowl shaped like a bishop's mitre. In England, Scrooge promises his clerk a bowl of 'smoking bishop' at the end of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, published in 1843. In Dutch, Jacob Kramers described bishop in 1847 as a popular drink made from hot wine, sugar and spices, and around 1875 the word bisschopswijn began appearing in newspapers. It is easy to see why the drink is associated here with Saint Nicholas: the kindly saint is the bishop of Myra. Since the end of the nineteenth century, Bishop's Wine has also been available by the bottle.
The right glass
Bishop's Wine is served in a heat-resistant glass that you can wrap your hand around. A tea glass with a thick base is the easiest choice: sturdy, easy to hold and spacious enough for a 12.5 cl serving plus the aroma of orange and cloves. If you want to keep it warm for longer, choose a double-walled glass: the layer of air between the walls provides insulation, keeping your fingers cool and the wine warm. You can find both in our tea glasses.
La Rochère Ouessant Tea Glass 36 cl (6 pieces)
Luigi Bormioli Thermic Glass Cappuccino Glass 16.5 cl With Stainless Steel Saucer (2 pieces)
Both sets together € 66,90.
The right tools
For Bishop's Wine, besides a glass, you use a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring, and a nutmeg grater. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools together € 100,80.
What do you make a bishop's wine with?
For bishop's wine, you need red wine. On every drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair with it, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Many Dutch recipes make it stronger with 2 cl of port or vieux per glass, added to the glass so the alcohol does not evaporate. Old recipe books mention the cardinal alongside the bishop, made with white wine. Add a slice of fresh ginger or a strip of lemon peel to move it toward mulled wine. Looking for something warm with spirits? Check out the Hot Toddy or the Irish Coffee.
Serving tip
Put the pan on the lowest heat or on a réchaud and serve with a ladle, so the bishop's wine stays warm without boiling. Place a bowl of Boerenjongens, peppernuts, and speculaas next to it, and the whole Saint Nicholas table is ready in one go.
Good to know
Making bishop's wine for a whole bottle
A 75 cl bottle yields six glasses of 12.5 cl, so choose 6 people in the recipe. You will need one and a half oranges with 12 cloves, 3 cinnamon sticks, 90 grams of sugar, and a generous pinch of nutmeg. The classic image is one whole orange studded with cloves floating in the pan. Feel free to use that; just cut into it a few times so the juice can escape. Two bottles fit in a four-liter soup pot. Taste after twenty minutes: the cloves become increasingly strong, so remove the orange as soon as you like the flavor.
Which wine do you use for bishop's wine
Choose a soft, fruity red wine with little tannin, such as merlot, grenache or a simple Côtes-du-Rhône. Tannin tastes stronger in warm wine, making a young, robust wine feel astringent. Also avoid wine that has spent a long time in oak: vanilla and smoke do not go well with orange and cloves. An expensive bottle would be a waste, because sugar and spices overpower the details. The cheapest boxed wine, on the other hand, makes the drink taste thin. Choose a wine you would also happily drink without spices, and you cannot go wrong.
Difference between bishop's wine and mulled wine
Both are warm red wine with spices, but the accents differ. Mulled wine comes from Germany, is drier and more spiced, and usually includes star anise and lemon peel. Bishop's wine is the Dutch version: sweeter, with orange taking center stage, cloves in the peel and a pinch of nutmeg. Mulled wine belongs at the Christmas market, bishop's wine at an evening of presents. In the pan, the method is exactly the same: low heat, whole spices, lid on and never let it boil. So if you can make one, you can make the other.
Bishop's wine for a group
For an evening of presents with six people, allow two glasses per person, so two bottles. Prepare the bishop's wine an hour before the guests arrive, then leave it on the lowest heat. A slow cooker on the keep-warm setting also works, but not on the high setting, because it will still start to boil. Remove the orange with cloves after half an hour. Put out a ladle and a row of preheated glasses so everyone can serve themselves. Find more ideas among the cocktails for a group.
Non-alcoholic bishop's wine for children
For children, replace the wine with red grape juice, or with half grape juice and half rooibos tea if you want it less sweet. Leave out the sugar, because the juice is sweet enough. Keep the orange with cloves, the cinnamon stick and the nutmeg the same. Prepare the children's version in a separate pan and place it somewhere else on the table so no one gets confused. Serve it in a double-walled glass: the outside stays cool, which is handy for little hands. Find more ideas among the children's cocktails.
Storing and reheating bishop's wine
Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator, without the orange and spices, otherwise it will become bitter. It will keep for two to three days. Reheat it slowly over low heat to around 70 degrees, or in the microwave by the glass in twenty-second intervals. Ready-made bishop's wine from the bottle is a great base if you are short on time: heat it with a fresh orange studded with cloves and a cinnamon stick, and it will still acquire the aroma of homemade.
Frequently asked questions
What is bishop's wine?
Bishop's wine is warm red wine with orange, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. In the Netherlands, it is traditionally enjoyed around Sinterklaas, the bishop of Myra. Similar drinks called bishop already existed in Germany and England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is sweeter and rounder than mulled wine.
How do you make bishop's wine?
Stick cloves into an orange and heat it with red wine, sugar, a cinnamon stick, and a pinch of nutmeg over low heat. Let it steep for 25 minutes with the lid on the pan, without boiling, and pour into preheated, heat-resistant glasses. Allow 12.5 cl of wine per glass, so one bottle yields six glasses.
What is the difference between bishop's wine and mulled wine?
Bishop's wine is the Dutch, sweeter version, featuring orange and cloves, often with a pinch of nutmeg. Mulled wine comes from Germany, is drier and more spiced, and usually includes star anise and lemon peel. The preparation is the same: heat gently, let steep, and never let it boil.
Which glass do you use for bishop's wine?
A heat-resistant tea glass or a double-walled glass. A tea glass with a thick base is sturdy and easy to hold; a double-walled glass keeps the wine warm longer while remaining cool on the outside. Rinse the glass with hot water first, so it does not crack and the bishop's wine stays at temperature longer.
Everything for your bar,
to one address
Glasses in hospitality quality, delivered per set. Order today, delivered quickly.
Shop the glasses →