“In Sweden the holiday season revolves around one beverage: glögg,” says chef Marcus Samuelsson. “Seemingly every single meal during the month of December begins (and ends) with a glass (or three) of this warm ruby redmulled wine. When I was growing up, the moment my grandmother started to cook up a batch on her stove signaled that the festivities were about to begin. I knew that delicious spreads of baked hams, herring prepared in a variety of ways, lutfisk, and gubbröra would be landing on the dining room table in no time. Oh, and I was amped to realize that it wouldn’t be long until I’d receive some Christmas presents too.” Packed with cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger, get ready for your entire home to be infused with the scent of the holidays.
This recipe is adapted from the cookbook ‘Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine,’ by Marcus Samuelsson.
Ingredients
Makes about 1½ quarts
Step 1
Crush cinnamon and cardamom in a mortar and pestle (or put them on a cutting board and crush with the bottom of a heavy pot.) Transfer to a small glass jar and add ginger, orange zest, cloves, and vodka. Let sit 1 day.
Step 2
Strain vodka through a fine-mesh sieve into a large saucepan; discard spices. Add wine, port, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, almonds, and raisins and heat over medium just until bubbles start to form around the edges.
Step 3
Ladle glögg into mugs, with a few almonds and raisins in each one. Keep any remaining glögg warm over very low heat until ready to serve (do not let it boil).
