Glogg

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Vegan/Gluten-Free

Skill Level: Beginner

Yield: 12-15 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour (minimum, longer is better!)

Equipment Needed:

• Slow cooker

• Tea infuser

• Ladle

The Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 bottles (1500 milliliters) of dry red wine (such as Cabernet)

• 1 bottle (750 milliliters) of port

• About 20 cardamom pods

• About 25 whole cloves

• 2-3 cinnamon sticks

• 1-2 cups of raisins

• 1-2 cups of slivered almonds

Procedure:

1. Add raisins and almonds to the bottom of a crockpot.

2. Add wine and port to the crockpot.

3. Add cardamom pods and cloves to a tea infuser, and submerge the infuser in the crockpot. Float cinnamon sticks on top of liquids.

4. Set your crockpot to low and allow mixture to heat up for a minimum of 1 hour; longer is better because you will infuse your Glogg with even more flavor the longer it sits.

5. Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days (reheat on stovetop or in microwave).

To Serve: Ladle Glogg into individual mugs, making sure to scoop up some raisins and almonds to add to each glass. Garnish with cinnamon sticks (whole or cut into smaller pieces to float), if desired.

Adjusting for your diet: If you have a nut allergy, you could easily omit the almonds from this recipe. I also think you could make a non-alcoholic version of Glogg by using alcohol-free wine and omitting the port all together.

Tips:

• I like to use Bota Box Cabernet for this recipe; I think it's actually a decent cab for a boxed wine and for the price, and since I am infusing it with all sorts of other flavors I don't want to use anything too nice or spendy.

• If using boxed wine, use an 8-cup liquid measuring cup that has milliliter measuring marks on the side to measure out your 1500 milliliters of wine.

• The same goes for the port; no need to use anything fancy. We like to use Taylor Port, which we find at Total Wine for a very reasonable price.

• I use regular raisins, but you could substitute golden raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries if you were looking to mix things up.

• I have used sliced almonds in place of slivered; I prefer the look and texture of the slivered for this recipe but you could easily use sliced if you already have them on hand.

• Be sure to add the raisins and almonds to the crockpot first; if you add them after the wine and port have already been added there is a good chance you will splash red wine on yourself as they drop in.

• I have not had success finding cardamom pods in grocery stores in my area, so I order them on Amazon.

Not only do they provide amazing flavor and smell strangely like a box of Fruit Loops, but look how pretty!!

• I also like to order cinnamon sticks on Amazon because buying them in bulk is so much more economical than buying the tiny jar at the grocery store.

• If you don't have a tea infuser and do not have a desire to buy one, you could wrap your spices up in a piece of cheesecloth or a coffee filter and tie tightly with a piece of butcher's twine. You could also just toss the cloves and cardamom pods into the crockpot, but be sure your guests are aware so that they don't accidentally munch on a whole clove they thought was a raisin.

My tea infuser

• If you do not have a crockpot, you could add everything to a large pan or stockpot on your stove and heat on low heat.

The Story:

In general, I VASTLY prefer summertime to wintertime. I dread when the temperatures dip below 40 degrees (and they go MUCH lower in Minnesota), I hate doing the white-knuckled drive through a snowstorm, I despise having to wear boots into work and changing into sneakers once I get there, and I always seem so have at least one major wipe-out on my butt on the ice in front of a bunch of people per winter (I'm a fast walker by nature, so I guess it's my own fault).

Holiday season 2022

All of that said, you can't put a price on the excitement of children during this season over things like playing in the snow, sipping on hot cocoa, and gearing up for the holidays. Watching my kiddos get hyped up when the snow starts to fly definitely helps warm up my toes a little bit.

My little elf in the shelf (2022)

Another thing that warms up my toes is also one of my favorite holiday traditions. Up until about 17 years ago, my parents used to rotate hosting Christmas Eve with my mom's aunt. The meal served was basically identical no matter who the host was; a very traditional Scandinavian spread that included items like Swedish meatballs, boiled potatoes, Swedish sausage, cranberries, lefse, and of course lutefisk. When you walked into the house, however, one scent rose above the rest: that of cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon, wafting gently from a warm crockpot set up on a folding table somewhere.

The excitement is palpable (2018)

Although I wasn't allowed to drink Glogg until I was of legal drinking age, that scent always takes me back to my childhood and those special Christmas Eves with family. When my husband started joining my family for Christmas Eve when we were dating, I remember my dad pressing a warm mug of Glogg into his hands and insisting it was one of the things he had to try. Once we stopped doing the "big" Christmas Eve celebrations and I started hosting a much smaller gathering at our house, Glogg was really the only food/drink tradition I kept alive. My dad wrote out his recipe for me, and I keep it in a safe location (...after I accidentally lost it for about a year...).

My dad and I accidentally matched last year on Christmas Eve :)

The word Glogg (pronounced glug) comes from a Swedish word (glodga) meaning "to burn" or "to mull." The history of this mulled wine drink seems hard to pin down, although everyone can agree it is a traditional Scandinavian drink served around Christmastime. I found many variations to the recipe online as well, although cardamom and red wine were the definite constants. Many recipes included orange peel, an addition I think I may try myself the next time I whip up a pot of Glogg (just don't tell my dad, he fears change).

Sweet but not too sweet, deep in color and flavor, with the faint scent and taste of all things Christmas, Glogg is a winter warmer that I highly recommend adding to your next gathering that occurs on a chilly evening. Getting to the bottom of your mug and munching on a few wine-soaked raisins and almonds is one of those little pleasures I look forward to as the temperatures begin to plummet outside. Inhale, sip, and remember there will be warmer days to come soon enough.

Happy tasting!