Glögg
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A traditional Swedish libation, the lovely story behind this particular version states that it “stimulates the vocal cords, so be sure to serve it in close proximity to a piano.”
Ingredients
2 1-inch pieces of orange peel
1 quart tawny port wine
½ cup brandy
½ cup rye whiskey
1/3 cup whole, blanched almonds
1/3 cup raisins
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cardamom pods, crushed lightly
4 whole cloves
Instructions
Serves 6
- Put orange peel on a baking sheet, and bake at 200° F for 3 hours, to dry it.
- Combine port, brandy, rye, almonds, raisins and orange peel in a nonreactive saucepan.
- Tie cinnamon, cardamom and cloves together into a cheesecloth sachet, and add to pot.
- Cover and cook over medium heat, being careful not to boil. Just when glögg begins to simmer, reduce heat to very low and steep for at least 30 minutes. Remove from heat. You can continue to let it steep some more – just reheat before serving (but do not boil).
- For those who dare: tell everyone to stand back. Hold lid against the saucepan as a shield, and carefully hold a lit kitchen match near the rim until the fumes ignite. Let the fumes burn for a few seconds, then cover the pan to smother them.
- Discard the sachet, and ladle glögg into teacups. Serve with spoons, so guests can eat the deliciously saturated raisins and almonds.
My husband says: While any port can be used in this recipe, do try to find a tawny port – you can use the less-expensive (10 year) bottles. Tawny port has a nice set of candied, spicy flavors which work perfectly in this recipe.
