In the spirit of the Holidays, having already written about eggnog, we decided to give equal time to glögg, a hot and sweet mulled or spiced wine served up in Sweden (and other Nordic countries) around the Christmas season.
According to the Wine & Spirits Museum in Stockholm, the word “glögg” is a shortened form of “glödgad vin” which translates to “glowing-hot wine” and derives from the German “glühwein” or “glow wine.” Different than other types of mulled wine, glögg is traditionally garnished with raisins and almonds, which gives it a sweet and creamy flavor. Because alcohol is a skin vasodilator, especially when heated, it provokes a pleasant feeling of warmth even though vasodilation causes heat loss.
Below is a recipe for Swedish glögg:
750 ml bottle of red wine
¼ cup of brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
10 cloves
6 cinnamon sticks
½ cup dark raisins
½ cup slivered almonds
With that let us “raisin” our glasses of glögg and offer a hearty “Skål,” meaning “Cheers” in Swedish!