It’s the first of advent today, so of course I made glögg.
Glögg is kind of like Swedish mulled wine. Except it tastes better and smells better. And no, it is absolutely NOT like the syrupy concoction they sell and sometimes serve at IKEA. That is not glögg.
If I was in Sweden I’d just buy some bottles of glögg at the liquor store. But I’m not in Sweden. So over the years I’ve started making my own and I’ve gotten quite good at it, if I say so myself. Because if there is one thing I HAVE to have this time of year, it’s glögg.
My glögg
1 big piece of ginger
4 sticks of cinnamon
1 tbsp green cardamom pods
16 whole cloves
2 pieces of dried orange peel (pomeransskal if you get it in Sweden)
500 ml water
Mix it all in a pot and let it boil away slowly with a lid on for 30 minutes. Strain it and keep all the liquid. Then, in a big pot, mix the liquid with:
1,5-2 litres red wine (cheap stuff will definitely do and I guess you could make less, though I don’t know why.)
100 ml vodka
150-200 ml sugar
Taste it to adjust the sweetness. Heat it up without letting it simmer or boil and serve it in small cups with some raisins and chopped blanched almonds.
The smell is almost the best thing about it. Almost.
Maria Haskins 