Glogg

Its time to take a seat, pour yourself a mug of something warm, and snuggle up as we talk about one of the hottest drinks this festive season: glogg.

Scandinavian influence

Talk of “hygge” has taken the UK by storm over the last few months as Scandinavian life has inspired the nation. Books like “How to Hygge: The Secret to Nordic Living” have been huge and I bet they will be on many a Christmas list this year. I’ve also jumped on the bandwagon and have decked my new house out in mid-century Scandi-style. But moving away from homes and interiors for a second, I’ve also been focussing more on Scandinavian food and drink. That’s where glogg comes in…

Warm, spiced wine

In the UK we drink A LOT of mulled wine this time of year. You can buy ready made spice packs in all the supermarkets. Simply heat a bottle of red wine with cinnamon, cloves and citrus peel and you’ve got yourself a British Christmas staple.

If you’ve travelled to Europe for the German Christmas markets you’ll also be familiar with glühwein the continental version of mulled wine. My favourite variation on the glühwein recipe is feuerzangenbowle which is exactly the same as glühwein except for the large rum soaked sugar loaf that is hung over the hot wine, set on fire, and encouraged to drip into the drink. The term “glogg” is actually an offshoot of the German term “glühwein” so it’s no surprise the recipes are quite similar.

What they all have in common is a red wine base. They almost always include cinnamon, cloves and citrus peel. Glogg, however, takes things a step further with dried fruits such as raisins, apricots, prunes, or peaches added to the mix along with nuts and spirits / liquor.

The wine is then heated along with all of the added extras until the flavours have infused the drink. The act of preparing a batch of glogg, lovingly slaving away over the hob as the wine heats through, and sharing a cup with family and friends is oh-so-hygge! So check out my recipe below and bring some Christmas hygge into your life.

The recipe

We’ll be sharing our first batch of glogg when we open our new home to visitors for the first time in December. We’re not quite finished decorating and there’s a lot of furniture still missing (TV unit, spare bed, desk etc) and curtains too but it will be nice to have people visit. Hopefully after a glogg or two they won’t notice the work still to do. Still, it will be lovely to invite our family and friends to share a cup of glogg with us for the very first time.

Glogg

Glogg is a traditional Nordic mulled wine that is flavoured with spices and sugar. It's the perfect way to warm up on a cold winters day.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine Nordic, Scandinavian

Servings 8 people

Calories 198.03 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 750 ml red wine
• 100 ml brandy
• 100 g brown sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 vanilla pod
• 4 glace cherries
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 4 star anise
• 4 tbsp raisins
• 4 tbsp flaked almonds

Instructions

 

• Add all of the ingredients (except the almonds) into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat gently stirring frequently.
• Once the sugar has dissolved, pour into mugs.
• Top with the flaked almonds and serve while hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 198.03kcalCarbohydrates: 25.44gProtein: 0.41gFat: 0.24gSaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 10.03mgPotassium: 211.17mgFiber: 1.1gSugar: 15.82gVitamin A: 6.17IUVitamin C: 0.56mgCalcium: 32.76mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Glogg mugs…

Before I go, I had to mention these adorable enamel glogg mugs which I used in my photos! You can get them from Not on the High Street for £12 each. Aren’t they the cutest!

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