Glögg (or gløgg, as it’s written in Danish) is one of the best reasons to be an adult during the holiday season in Scandinavia. Sure, hot chocolate is well and good, but there’s something uniquely satisfying about a warm alcoholic drink on a cold night; from hot toddies to egg nog, it’s a running theme of winter.
A Swedish spiced & mulled wine, also consumed throughout the rest of the Nordic countries, glögg is as easy to make as it is to drink (as in: easy!). You typically drink glögg at a Christmas market or some kind of holiday gathering, but hey, if you want to throw a pot of mulled wine on the stove on any given evening, why not?
Make your own glögg & share the love:
Tools you’ll need
A large sauce pan or stockpot, suited to how much you’d like to make
Cheesecloth or straining bag
Ladle for serving, if you’re fancy
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Ingredients
1 bottle red wine (some use port wine, we prefer it a bit lighter. You can also use pre-spiced wine like Blossa)
NB The spices will overwhelm an expensive bottle, so use whatever’s cheap
1/2 bottle sweet white wine such as sauternes (optional but recommended)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange
1 lemon
5-10 cloves & 5-10 cardamon pods, depending on how strong you want the spices to be.
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup blanched almonds, slivered if preferred
1/2 cup white sugar, to taste
1/2 cup aquavit, vodka, white rum or bourbon whiskey…whatever you like! (optional)
Instructions
Combine wines in a saucepan. Zest and juice both lemon & orange. Add juice to wine mixture.
Put lemon & orange zest, as well as all spices, in a cheesecloth or straining bag, tie and add to wine & juice mixture. Add raisins and almonds directly to saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to remove foam from the top of the glögg a few times. Taste the mixture and add sugar to taste.
Add alcohol of choice before serving, if desired. Make sure to get some of the raisins and almonds at the bottom into each glass! Serve with a spoon; garnish with a cinnamon stick or orange zest, or even candied orange piece if you like to make things pretty!
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Have another glögg recipe you love, or a winter drink that keeps you cosy? Tell us about it in the comments!