What is Gløgg?
Gløgg is mulled wine – an absolutely classic winter and autumn drink. In Denmark, it is typically consumed around Christmastime, and the more common version is made with red wine. You can find our recipe for classic Danish gløgg here, which includes ingredients like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, rum, orange juice, raisins, and almonds. However, there are many variations of gløgg, from Sweden to Norway to Germany and even Russia! All of them involve the infusion of spices and sweetness into wine, making it a super cozy drink and perfect to enjoy on a chilly autumn or winter day.
Cozy Vibes
Today’s recipe is for hvid gløgg or white mulled wine. This is a great alternative for you if you prefer white wine or can’t have red wine for some reason. It is a bit lighter than the classic gløgg but still just as delicious! As we mentioned before, gløgg is usually a Christmastime drink, but we have decided to post this version now as we near the end of September. That’s because we think it’s a bit more autumnal and actually very reminiscent of mulled apple cider! So, perhaps you could make this in the autumn and then transition to classic gløgg for the winter? Regardless, it is such a cozy drink to have on a chilly day. Plus, it makes your kitchen smell great!
A Few Tips
Here are a few tips for making mulled white wine. First, make sure to use a dry white wine and not a very sweet wine, as this will make the final drink too sweet! Remember, this recipe makes a gløgg extract that is basically a sugar-based syrup, so you are adding sweetness to the wine. Next, if you can’t find apple cider or don’t want to add it, feel free to omit it! It will still turn out just as yummy! Finally, if you want to make a non-alcoholic version, use white grape juice or apple cider instead of wine, adjusting the sugar amount as needed. Hope you try it out and please let us know in the comments if you do!
Hvid Gløgg (Mulled White Wine)
Ingredients
- 10 cardamom pods
- 15 peppercorns
- 3-4 cinnamon sticks
- 5 star anise
- 25 whole cloves
- 50 g (1/4 cup) brown sugar
- Zest/peel of one orange
- 360 ml (1.5 cups) water
- 85 g (1/2 cup) raisins
- Rum
- Slivered almonds (you can also use whole blanched almonds)
- 750 ml (1 bottle) dry or semi-sweet white wine
- 474 ml (2 cups) apple cider
Instructions
- A few hours before serving, add raisins to a glass and cover with rum (we don’t measure an exact amount of rum) to let them soak.
- Combine all of your spices, sugar, orange peel, orange juice, and water in a saucepan over low heat.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves; then let your mixture simmer for around an hour to an hour and a half, keeping it covered. You can add more water if needed as well.
- Strain your extract. If you aren’t making the gløgg right away, you can store your extract in a bottle in the fridge. Use within a week.
- Heat up the apple cider in a large pot. Turn the stove off, then add the bottle of wine to the pot (it can be dangerous to pour alcohol into a pot with the stove on if you have a gas stove with a flame). Then, add the extract, raisins, and whatever rum is leftover in the glass you soaked your raisins in.
- Heat your wine mixture until it is just hot enough – you don’t want to boil off the alcohol. Once the edges start to bubble, it should be ready!
- Add slivered almonds to the bottom of your mugs. Ladle your wine and raisins into the mugs. Enjoy!
