Gløgg, or hot spiced wine, is the taste of Christmas in the Henricksen household. It’s warmth as we sip it and its spicy-citrus aroma filling the house can only mean one thing…Christmas is right around the corner! While Christian didn’t grow up with Gløgg, he is of Scandinavian descent so he’s our Gløgg maker and has been for the past 7 years. He’s gotten so confident in his Gløgg making abilities that he doesn’t even use a recipe anymore…but his general approach, which is delicious, is as follows:
4 cinnamon sticks
1 orange peel
12-16 cloves
4 bottles of decent Merlot...not top-shelf stuff, but certainly good enough that you would enjoy a glass of it
2 cups of sugar
1-2 cups of brandy – start small, you can always add more…it just depends how fortified you like it
Break the cinnamon sticks in half and put them into a mulling bag along with the orange peel and cloves.
Pour 2 bottles of wine into a large, heavy pot. Add sugar and bring to a very low simmer. Simmer until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add remaining wine, brandy and mulling spice bag.
Continue to simmer for about an hour. Taste, adjust sugar and brandy levels as needed. Pour into a heat-proof glass or mug and enjoy. Beware, a couple of glasses of this stuff and you’ll be off your rocker…with a nice sugar hangover the next day to show for it.
