When I think of Glüehwein, I think of Christmas. It is an annual tradition, that one of my dear friends and I head to the local Vancouver Christmas Market (pictured below) to mark the start of the holiday season. We eat fabulous German food, shop for Christmas ornaments and partake in a warmed beverage, or two! The Vancouver Christmas Market is modelled after traditional German/Austrian Christmas Markets, so naturally the style of warm mulled wine they serve is Glüehwein.
Glüehwein in German translates to “glow wine” and is mainly found in outdoor German and Austrian Christmas markets and mountainous ski chalets. Glüehwein is the perfect sip to warm yourself up, and to add a rosy “glow” to your cheeks.
Glüehwein, like most warm mulled wines begins with a bottle or two of good red wine and spices. You then add some citrus zest and juices, water, sugar and occasionally a small shot of brandy (or rum, if you fancy!). Then serve in a warmed mug. I’ve even seen Glüehwein mugs rimmed with a crystalized rum sugar. Yum!
If you need a drink for a crowd after skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, hiking or even just walking around looking at Christmas lights, this is your drink. You could even make the Glüehwein ahead of time in the slow cooker, so it is ready and warm when you get home.
Here’s to happy evenings with friends and family, with your cheeks all aglow! It’s hard not to feel festive and happy when there’s Glüehwein around!
Krista
Glüehwein (German Mulled Wine)
Serves 4 (double recipe if you want more than one glass)
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
3 cinnamon sticks
8 cloves, whole
3 star anise, whole
4 all-spice berries, whole
1-750 ml bottle red wine (choose one you like to drink)
2 small oranges, cut in half, then juiced (depending on the orange, you may only need to squeeze 1 to get ½ cup – 2/3 cup juice). Push a few of the cloves into the outside orange peel and place peels into the pot to steep)
1 lemon zest and juice
1 oz brandy (or rum), in each mug (optional)
Orange wheel & cinnamon stick to garnish
Method
Combine sugar, water and spices into a large pot, bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add wine, lemon and orange zest, juices and orange peels. Warm wine and allow mixture to steep for 30 minutes. It is important not to boil your Glüehwein, you want to warm, not bubble. At most, there should only be very small bubbles around the outside of the pot. After 30 minutes, check spice levels, if to your taste preference, remove spices and fruit pieces with a slotted spoon. If not, keep spices in for 15-20 minutes longer. Keep wine warm until ready to serve.
When you are ready to serve, add shot of brandy or rum to each mug (optional), then fill each mug with Glüehwein. Serve with an orange wheel slice and cinnamon stick garnish!
*Recipe Note: If you would like to use a slow cooker, add all ingredients (minus the brandy/rum) into the cooker, stir and turn slow-cooker to low. Allow liquid to steep for 30 minutes, test for spice levels, remove spices and fruit, then put slow cooker onto warm function until ready to serve.
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