Ingredients
Wine
- 1.5 litresfruity dry red wine — a young Dornfelder, Spätburgunder or Merlot
- 100 gsugar, or to taste
- 1orange, sliced
- 1lemon, sliced
Spice
- 3 stickscinnamon
- 8whole cloves
- 4star anise
- 6green cardamom pods, crushed
- 1vanilla pod, split
- a few slices of fresh ginger
Optional
- 100 mldark rum or amaretto, added off the heat
Directions
- Stud a few of the orange slices with the cloves — it keeps them together and makes them easy to fish out later.
- Put the wine, sugar, citrus slices and all the whole spices in a pan and heat gently to about 70°C (158°F). It should steam but never bubble.
- Hold it at that temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. This is the whole technique: below simmering the spices infuse and the alcohol stays put, and the moment it boils the wine goes thin and harsh and most of the alcohol leaves.
- Taste and adjust the sugar. Different wines need very different amounts, and a cheap sharp red will take more than a rounder one.
- Strain out the spices and citrus. Left in, the cloves and star anise keep giving and by the second glass it tastes medicinal.
- Stir in the rum or amaretto now, off the heat, if you are using it.
- Ladle into heatproof glasses or mugs and serve with a fresh slice of orange.
Technique
- Never let it boil. Watch the surface: steam is right, bubbles are not.
- Strain the spices out once it is infused. This is the difference between the second glass being better than the first and worse than it.
- Use a wine you would drink cold. Warming does not rescue a bad bottle; it exposes it.
Substitutions
- White wine for Weisser Glühwein, which is lighter and very popular in Germany and Austria.
- Apple juice or red grape juice for a Kinderpunsch, made exactly the same way.
- Honey in place of sugar, stirred in off the heat so it keeps its aroma.
Variations
- Feuerzangenbowle sets a rum-soaked sugar loaf alight over the pot, which is spectacular and worth doing outdoors.
- The Nordic glögg adds raisins and blanched almonds to each glass.
History
Spiced hot wine drunk since the Middle Ages; a surviving tankard made for Count Johann IV of Katzenelnbogen around 1420 is the oldest known Glühwein vessel.
Frequently asked questions
What is Glühwein?
Glühwein is a wine & spirit from Germany: hot spiced red wine warming Christmas markets. Spiced hot wine drunk since the Middle Ages; a surviving tankard made for Count Johann IV of Katzenelnbogen around 1420 is the oldest known Glühwein vessel.
How long does Glühwein take to make?
Glühwein takes 10 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Glühwein?
Yes, within limits. White wine for Weisser Glühwein, which is lighter and very popular in Germany and Austria. Apple juice or red grape juice for a Kinderpunsch, made exactly the same way. Honey in place of sugar, stirred in off the heat so it keeps its aroma.
What is the most important thing to get right in Glühwein?
Put the wine, sugar, citrus slices and all the whole spices in a pan and heat gently to about 70°C (158°F). It should steam but never bubble.
