Pass The Glögg, Please!

You have prepared the menu for your guests, but what should the beverage be??

How about a traditional drink- Glögg?!

　 Samuel Johnson, author of the first English dictionary, wrote "Claret is the drink for boys, port for men, but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy." By that definition, Scandinavian glögg, will make us saintly. Glögg, pronounced glug, is a sweet, high-octane, mulled wine, which is to say it is made with a potpourri of spices and all three of the above: Claret (red wine), port, and brandy, and is served warm. Especially popular around Christmas, it is the perfect cold weather drink, warming the body and soul from the inside out.

-------------------------------------------- How does it work? The warm liquid raises the temperature of the mouth and stomach slightly, and because alcohol is a vasodilator, it forces blood to the skin, making us feel warm and blushing on the outside

---------------------------------------------- Glögg is the traditional drink in Sweden and Finland during the six weeks leading up to December 25--a cold, dark time of year in Scandinavia. This glögg recipe resembles a variety of historical mulled wines, such as wassail.

According to the Wine & Spirits Museum in Stockholm, King Gustav I Vasa of Sweden was fond of a drink made from German wine, sugar, honey, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves. It was later named "glödgad vin" in 1609, which meant "glowing-hot wine." The word "glögg" is a shortened form, and first appeared in print in 1870.

Its popularity spread throughout the European nations and in the 1890s it became a Christmas tradition. It was often used as a health potion and perhaps for a wide variety of ailments, especially muscle strains induced by shoveling snow.

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Perhaps you are wondering what is in this drink, and how can I make it?.

Wine trader’s glögg Here is a recipe from 1898 taken from the blending manual of an unidentified wine merchant. 181 liters Wine Blend mixed from full-bodied red wine, fortified wine and Port wine cask sediment. 188 liters Cognac 64 liters Sherry 90 kilos Sugar 425 grams Cinnamon 260 grams Cardamom 250 grams Bitter Almond 6 kilos Raisins 100 pods Vanilla

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When you are ready to serve,warm it gently in a saucepan over a low flame or, better still, in a crockpot. Serve it in a mug and, don't skip this, garnish it with a strip of fresh orange peel, twisted over the mug to release the oils. Drink while seated and give your car keys to a friend.

Note: For a nonalcoholic version, use water or orange juice, and substitute 3 cups Concord grape juice for the wine. Omit sugar, and follow glögg procedure.