Christmas Glögg!

Emily is swedish, so it’s obviously a very important holiday tradition to make and consume as much “glögg” as possible around Christmas time.  Get it while it’s hot!  No, literally.  Glögg is a wine served spicy and hot, an ideal beverage on any dark, wintery night.

Spicy Glögg Ingredients

• One bottle of red wine.  We suggest an organic table red or maybe something biodynamic but Carlo Rossi from the bodega also works.
  
• At least half a liter of brandy or vodka.  Tito’s Handmake Vodka is our personal favorite but when cooking Glögg, we prefer to use a brandy as we believe it makes for richer flavor.  Speaking of Brandy, wasn’t she supposed to come out with a Christmas album this year?  What happened with that?
• Ten cardamom pods
• One cinnamon stick, broke-down.  Like the palace. Okay not really.  Just break the cinnamon stick, whatever.
• One half an orange peel.  We used fresh so we could eat some orange in the process but dried is okay too.
• One half pound of sugar.  Lumps are more fun to use.
• Five or six cloves
• One half cup of raisins
• One half cup of almonds, chopped

Heat the mix (wine, brandy, fruits, spices, & nuts) in a pot on the stove.  BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE MIXTURE BOIL as all the alcohol will evaporate and that’s the best part.  So let it be hot for about forty-five minutes.  Yes, this does require something like militant attention but patience is a virtue, is it not?

Emily chooses to serve Glögg with the fruits, nuts and spices, but if that’s not your thing then strain the Glögg through a cloth to remove the additions.

If it doesn’t seem strong enough, add more brandy, and serve over hot lumped sugar!