This liquor-spiked wine with warming spices is your winter call to coziness.
Winter nights beckon the warm embrace of a hot mug of something. Almost anything will do if you’re cold enough—hot chocolate, tea, even a cup of chicken broth sounds like a nice nightcap—but the coziest drink to sip on is glögg. You can prepare it for a group, but the real boss move is making a large batch for yourself and sipping on it slowly all winter. Here’s how to make a batch to hide away with until spring.
Glögg (also spelled "gløgg") is liquor-spiked wine in which warming spices, sugar, nuts, and fruits mingle and infuse. It’s heated until steaming, and served with the booze-infused fruits and nuts which are enjoyed at the end of your drink. Some equate it to mulled wine but to me it’s more complex. Is it served hot and does it steep with spices? Yes, but in my experience mulled wine doesn’t lean into the booze quite as much or develop the same round, robust depth of flavor. I suppose, in part, it also depends on the quality of ingredients you choose. (I recommend splurging to an extent on the liquor component.)
Glögg is enjoyed in Nordic countries, like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, especially during Christmas time but really the whole of winter. Not just because it can warm you up and potentially knock you off your feet, but because it’s the drinkable accessory to cozy relaxation. Socializing or just taking time to yourself to prioritize a state of comfort and general well-being is well-known through the Danish concept hygge, and the Swedish practice of taking a fika pause during the day to simply enjoy life. While you can do this with tea or nothing at all, I consider glögg a warm reminder to enjoy winter, even if it sucks outside.
I use a glögg recipe from the book called Fika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break that my friend of Swedish descent sent over to me. I make this recipe every year for a Christmas party, and it’s always been sensational. It’s of top importance (as it is the primary component) to use a wine you would enjoy on its own. My palate is blessed to enjoy a great many wines, but for this I use a full-bodied, fruity cabernet sauvignon called Apothic Cab. As you can see, at about $11 it’s not what anyone would dub “bougie,” nor is it wrecking my financial stability.
The liquor component is as important as the wine, however, and where you should spring for the bottle you normally wouldn’t. You can use numerous types of liquor—some use vodka or aquavit—but this recipe indicates rum, whiskey, or cognac. Most recently I used Diplomatico Reserva rum which is marketed as a sipping rum, and I’m sure rum enthusiasts will faint when they read this. To them I say, it was worth it. My glögg slaps.
To make this recipe, start by infusing the liquor in the morning, or even the night before. Add the dried fruits, citrus peel, and whole, dried spices to a jar that can hold 12 ounces or liquid or more. Pour in your liquor of choice, and allow it to infuse for at least four hours, or overnight.
When you’re ready, decide if you want a cup today or not. If you’re preparing the glogg for the future, there’s really no need to heat it up today. Pour the spiced liquor through a sieve to remove the other ingredients. Reserve the figs and raisins if you wish, and store them separately in a small container. Add all of the other components to a large hinge-top bottle. Tip the bottle upside-down, and repeat this a few times over the next hour to mix the ingredients and dissolve the sugar.
If you want some today, then it’s time to heat it up. Pour the spiced liquor through a sieve to remove the other ingredients. I pour it through a strainer and directly into a crock pot if I’m serving a crowd, but you could also do this in a medium sized pot on the stove. Reserve the figs and raisins and add a few to your mug. Add all of the ingredients to the pot or crock pot and gently heat it over the lowest heat with a cover on. Stir occasionally. When the sugar is dissolved and the glögg is lightly steaming, turn off the heat. Use a ladle or a turkey baster to fill your mug. Add a couple blanched almonds and enjoy.
If there's any left over, allow the batch to cool completely and pour it all into a large bottle. Seal it and store at room temperature, or in the fridge if you prefer.
When the cold nips, it’s time for a warm cup of glögg. Tilt the bottle a couple times to mix up the components again and pour a 5-ounce portion into your mug. Warm this in the microwave for about 30 seconds, give it a stir and microwave it for another 10 to 30 seconds depending on how hot you want it to be. Drop in a few segments of reserved, liquor-soaked dried figs or raisins and a couple blanched almonds.
If you’re reheating a few cups, go ahead and pour as many servings into a small pot and heat it on low, covered with a lid. Add the fruits and nuts to each mug before filling with this warm winter drink.
(adapted from the book Fika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break)
Ingredients:
5 to 7 dried figs, quartered
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon candied orange peel (or 3 2-inch strips of fresh)
1 1-inch nub of ginger root, peeled and cut into quarters
2 or 3 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons whole cloves
3 dried, whole star anise pods (alternatively, use green cardamom pods)
¾ cup rum, whiskey, or cognac
1 bottle of a full-bodied red wine
½ cup brown sugar, packed
Blanched almonds, for garnishing
1. This recipe makes about four cups (32 ounces) and can be doubled if you have the space to store it. Add the figs, raisins, orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and liquor to a jar. Use a jar that will allow all of the ingredients to be submerged in the liquid. Allow this to infuse for 4 hours or up to overnight.
2. Strain the alcohol into a pot, or into a slow cooker to keep warm for slow sipping. If using a slow cooker, put it on “warm.” Reserve the figs and raisins from the strainer in a container for garnishing. Add the brown sugar and the entire bottle of wine to the liquor. Stir the mixture over low heat. You’re just dissolving the sugar and warming it to a lightly steaming, drinkable temperature. Do not bring it to a boil.
3. Add a few figs, raisins, and almonds to a mug. Scoop a serving of glögg into your mug and sip away. Enjoy the wine-soaked fruits and nuts with a spoon. Store the remaining in a large bottle after cooling to room temperature. Reheat single cups as needed in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove.
