Christmas Cocktails: Glögg, Glögg, Glögg, Glögg...

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Dec 15, 2005 8:35PM

Here in the toasty confines of Chicagoist's Bridgeport Bureau one of our holiday traditions is making glögg, the Scandinavian version of mulled wine. Glögg, like other mulled wines such as vin chaud or glühwein, makes for a nice insulator during the holidays. However, like any alcoholic beverage served warm, too much too quick will knock you on your ass.

Glögg differs from other mulled wine recipes with the addition of a stronger spirit to the mix, such as vodka or brandy. Our first encounter with glögg was a steaming hot mug of Hans' Andersonville glögg at the Hopleaf years ago- a vicious mix of port wine, brandy, and grain alcohol that gave us the reserve we neded to go to Mom's on Christmas Eve. We left the Hopleaf with a bottle that same evening. As the years went by we realized that it might be cheaper if we made our own glögg. It was a great idea tempered somewhat by a twentysomething's desire to get absolutely faced as soon as possible.

As 28 gave way to 32 we discovered that trading in the raw fuel of heated alcohol for a melange of flavors was not only a necessity but beneficial for everyone's enjoyment of our glögg. Last year's version was the culmination of years of tinkering; Chicagoist now makes a glögg that stands on par with Hans'. It also makes a unique alternative to egg nog and hot buttered rum if you're throwing a holiday party. We give it away as gifts to our oldest friends.

And we're going to share the recipe with you after the jump.

Here are the ingredients you need for making Bridgeport Bureau glögg. You can buy these at any supermarket or drugstore. It doesn't have to be ultra-expensive:

- Two parts (one 750ml bottle) of port wine. Chicagoist uses a ruby port because of its deep fruit palate and color. You can use a tawny port, but it's a bit sharper and the fruit aspects of the wine are lighter.

- One part (375 ml- 12.5 ounces) of brandy or cognac.

- One cup of vodka. If you want to go truly native (read: Scandinavian) you can use aquavit. A woman we shared this recipe with a couple years back replaced the vodka with dark rum and serves it for Kwanzaa.

Mull the port wine with one teaspoon cloves, one teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon whole cardamom, and one small peeled ginger root, wrapped and tied off in cheesecloth. Mull the hard spirits with 1/4 cup almonds, 1/4 cup raisins, 2 pinches dried banana, 2 pinches dried pineapple or dried apple, and fresh ornage peel, tied up in cheesecloth. Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar or honey to the spirits mixture and stir to dissolve. Mull both of these over a medium low heat. And please be careful to not let either mixture boil or overheat- you're dealing with hot alcohol here. This can be flammable and explosive, so make sure you have lids and a fire extinguisher nearby in case something happens.

When both the port wine and spirits mixtures are heated add the spirits to the port and stir. If you want you can set the whole mixture on fire to burn off the excess sugar. But don't let it burn too long or else you'll burn away alcohol.

It can be served immediately in a coffee or tea mug with some raisins and a cinnamon stick. However, if you let it sit a while the flavors from all the spices and fruits will have more time to infuse and you'll have a richer flavor.