Glogg
It’s cold. (Unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, then it’s warm. In that case, drink a Mai Tai and enjoy the weather for me.) Heck, even here it’s been raining like crazy for the last few days, making it both cold and damp. In harrowing times like this, there’s only one thing to drink: Glogg.
Glogg is, in its simplest definition, mulled wine. However, it’s so much more.
All Scandinavian countries have their own interpretation of Glogg — you have your Norwegian and Swedish — but we know the best is Danish Glogg. I’m only slightly biased, but I think we can all agree on that point.
Fine, here, allow me to prove it to you. In Danish, there’s a term “hygge,” which has no direct English translation, but it roughly means coziness. However, it’s much more than that. Remember when you were a kid, it was Christmastime, it was cold outside, you came in after playing with your friends, your mom had a hot cup of hot cocoa for you and you were eagerly anticipating opening all of the presents under the tree? That warm fuzzy feeling you get? That’s hygge.
The country that has a term for that warm fuzzy feeling we all get must have the best Glogg, which is the drink we all need to help scare the cold away from us.
In its broader definition, Glogg is liquid hygge. It’ll make you feel warm, cozy and let any worries or problems slip away, if only for a little while.
Oh, another magical thing about it? It takes a bunch of simple (read: cheap) ingredients and transforms them into something spectacular. This is exactly the same way that a big trend in dining out now is turning cheaper, former peasant cuts of food into something special.
Don’t splurge on expensive wine, port or brandy. Save those to drink and savor as you should savor them: singularly.
Also, hunt down the whole spices for this, they’ll give it that little extra kick that you can’t quite place, but know it’s just right.
Feel free to scale this recipe up and keep it simmering for your next holiday gathering. We do and it’s always a fan favorite.
(If you’re enjoying the Glogg, make sure to check out our recipe for Glühwein! Inspired by a trip to Denmark and Tivoli, it’s another fantastic mulled wine option.)
- 750ml bottle of red wine
- Rind of 1 orange
- Cinnamon stick (or two)
- ½ cup of raisins
- ½ cup of blanched almonds (the brown exterior removed)
- 10 cardamom seeds
- 5 cloves
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cup of port
- 1 cup brandy
- Glass type: Mug
- Add the wine, orange rind, cinnamon stick(s), raisins, almonds, cardamom seeds, cloves and honey to a pot on the stove.
- Let those simmer (not boil, simmer, baby bubbles form, a little steam comes off, but nothing crazy) for at least 30 minutes.
- When you're ready to serve, you can remove the spices if you want (I don't, whoever gets a clove wins a prize!), and then add the port and brandy.
- Ladle into mugs and enjoy the hygge.
