Swedish Glögg
Sweet, warm, and spicy, glögg (pronounced "glue-gh") is Sweden's seasonal mulled wine gift to chilly souls around the globe. Often enjoyed as a Christmas holiday drink, glögg means "glowing ember" and carries the classic connotations and merry musings of its Old Norse origins. Promising good cheer in a steamy cup, this punch charms with high-octane aromas, super spice, and the warm glow of good wine.
Many European countries have their own tasty versions of mulled wine. The Swedish take tends to turn things up a notch with a generous splash of bourbon or vodka and the added aromatics of cardamom pods. Keeping with many of the belly-warming spice themes found in Germany's glühwein, Swedish glögg traditionally strains out the spices prior to serving. It also adds a dash of blanched, slivered almonds and raisins to the final mug.
Tips For Making And Serving Delicious Glögg At Home
Perhaps the most important tip of all....don't let the glögg come to a boil! Boiling or even simmering the glögg will cause the alcohol to evaporate. We don't want that! Bring the glögg up to the point of simmering and then turn off the heat.
Let the wine and the spices steep for several hours. The flavor of your glögg will improve if you give the wine a chance to really take on the flavor of the warm spices.
Add aquavit (or vodka, brandy or rum) just prior to reheating and serving. Again, do not let the glögg come to a boil. We want to preserve the potency of our mulled wine.
Garnish each cup of glögg with an orange or clementine slice and maybe even a cinnamon stick (reserved from the spice mixture). This is a lovely presentation for this warm, festive beverage.
If you want to stick with tradition, serve with golden raisins and blanched slivered almonds. These "garnishes" will inevitably sink to the bottom of each cup of glögg. Invite your guests to use a spoon to eat up the delicious almonds and raisins at the bottom of the glass once they have finished their beverage.
Swedish Glögg
from https://www.bonappetit.com/
“In Sweden the holiday season revolves around one beverage: glögg,” says chef Marcus Samuelsson. “Seemingly every single meal during the month of December begins (and ends) with a glass (or three) of this warm ruby red mulled wine. When I was growing up, the moment my grandmother started to cook up a batch on her stove signaled that the festivities were about to begin. I knew that delicious spreads of baked hams, herring prepared in a variety of ways, lutfisk, and gubbröra would be landing on the dining room table in no time. Oh, and I was amped to realize that it wouldn’t be long until I’d receive some Christmas presents too.” Packed with cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger, get ready for your entire home to be infused with the scent of the holidays.
This recipe is adapted from the cookbook Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine, by Marcus Samuelsson.
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1 tsp. cardamom pods
1 small piece ginger, peeled
Zest of ½ orange
6 whole cloves
½ cup vodka
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
1 cup ruby port or Madeira
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar
½ blanched whole almonds
½ cup dark raisins
Crush cinnamon and cardamom in a mortar and pestle (or put them on a cutting board and crush with the bottom of a heavy pot.) Transfer to a small glass jar and add ginger, orange zest, cloves, and vodka. Let sit 1 day.
Strain vodka through a fine-mesh sieve into a large saucepan; discard spices. Add wine, port, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, almonds, and raisins and heat over medium just until bubbles start to form around the edges.
Ladle glögg into mugs, with a few almonds and raisins in each one. Keep any remaining glögg warm over very low heat until ready to serve. Do not let it boil. Boiling or even simmering the glögg will cause the alcohol to evaporate. We don't want that! Bring the mixture up to the point of simmering and then turn off the heat.
Makes about 1 1/2 quarts
Swedish Glögg
from https://true-north-kitchen.com/
An easy and delicious recipe for classic Swedish mulled wine. It will keep you warm and cozy all winter long.
1 orange
1 bottle dry red wine nothing expensive but full-bodied
⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 inch piece of ginger sliced into thin rounds
10 whole cloves
10 cardamom pods crushed (include both pods and seeds)
3 cinnamon sticks
½ cup aquavit such as the Linie brand (rum, brandy or vodka will also work)
Golden raisins, blanched almonds and thin orange or clementine slices for serving (optional)
Remove the peel from the orange using a vegetable peeler and transfer peel strips to a medium saucepan. Cut orange in half and squeeze juice into the saucepan with the peel.
Add all remaining ingredients to the saucepan and heat until mixture just comes to a simmer. Cover and remove from heat. Let steep for two to four hours at room temperature. Strain into a clean container. Mixture can be prepared up until this point up to a week ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
When you are ready to serve, return mixture to a saucepan. Add aquavit and a handful of golden raisins. Heat but do not boil (boiling will remove the alcohol). Serve immediately garnished with raisins, blanched almonds and orange or clementine slices if desired.
Notes Don't let the glögg come to a boil! Boiling or even simmering the glögg will cause the alcohol to evaporate. We don't want that! Bring the glögg up to the point of simmering and then turn off the heat.
