Cup of Glogg (Mulled Wine)
By Cat, Dec 2013 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
Includes: 1. Julegløgg (Danish Hot Christmas Glogg)
These recipes contains alcohol, so should be consumed in moderation.
When I was in my 30’s I had an annual Christmas Party around the 15th of December, which I catered myself. In the first few years, I served rum drinks like hot toddy, Tom & Jerry, and eggnog. But as the years went by my tastes mellowed and my interest in my Scandinavian heritage grew. I switched to serving gløgg, a Danish hot mulled wine that also includes brandy, and is flavored with holiday spices.
Unrefined sugar cube
Loaf sugar (sugar cubes) is not much used in the US today – I have a hard time finding it at my local grocer. But it is very common in Scandinavia. The best kind is made of dehydrated sugar cane juice and has a golden tan color (Photo, left, form Wikimedia Commons)
Julegløgg (Danish Hot Christmas Gløgg)
Gløgg is another name for mulled wine. Trine Hahneman explains, for her White Wine and Elderflower Gløgg recipe on Fine Cooking.com (3):
“Throughout December, Scandinavians meet outside to drink hot gløgg and sing carols—it’s like a cocktail party in the snow. My neighbors and I do it almost every night. Red wine is traditional in this spiced wine punch, but I think white wine is a nice change of pace.”
This recipe makes about 1 quart of gløgg, and is very similar to another beverage, Skol fra Danmark (Christmas Toast from Denmark). Both recipes can be found in Wonderful Wonderful Danish Cooking, by Ingaborg Dahl Jensen; the latter makes a LOT of beverage – enough to serve 40 generously – so I do not include it here.
See also the Gløgg recipe on Go Scandinavia’s website (2).
- 5 cardamom seeds (removed from the seed pod)
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp chopped candied lemon or orange peel
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 cups port wine
- ¼ lb blanched almonds
- ¼ lb seeded raisins
- ¼ lb loaf sugar
- 2 cups brandy
- cheesecloth
- large saucepan
- Chop candied peel (or, if you don’t want to use candied peel, chop enough fresh citrus peel to make 1 Tbsp).
- Fold a piece of cheesecloth in half; place all spices and the chopped candied peel in the middle, then tie up the cheesecloth around the spices tightly, to make a bag.
- Pour wine into the saucepan; drop the spice bag into pot. Heat to a simmer, and allow to continue to simmer 20 minutes.
- Add almonds and raisins and let simmer 10 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and remove the bag of spices. Pour mixture through a sieve. compost the raisins and almonds.
- Pour brandy over sugar cubes and ignite. Pour at once into wine mixture and serve hot in warmed mugs.
References:
- Wonderful Wonderful Danish Cooking, by Ingaborg Dahl Jensen
- Go Scandinavia: Glogg recipe, goscandinavia.about.com/od/restaurantsdining/r/gloggrecipe.htm
- Fine Cooking.com recipe: finecooking.com/drink-recipes/white-wine-elderflower-glogg.aspx and finecooking.com/item/55499/elderflower-cordial
