German Mulled Wine Warms the Holidays
‘Glühwein’ brings pleasure to long winter nights
This German mulled wine – aka glühwein – is the coziest, most heartwarming holiday drink, with a provenance that demonstrates its worth.
Look to the people who survive winters with only a few hours of sunlight each day for the coziest and most heart-warming holiday drinks. The answer, according to Germans, Swedes, Norwegians, Finns, and Danes? Mulled wine.
Here is a basic recipe that will make glühwein like you would get at a German Christmas market. In fact, many commercial Christmas markets simply reheat a pre-sweetened and pre-spiced mix, so this will likely taste even better.
Essential tips for making glühwein
- Heat gently. The first and most important rule? Do not let the wine boil or you will boil off the alcohol! I tend to let it heat gently for about 20 minutes before my guests arrive.
- Use a budget-friendly wine. It’s also not worth spending a ton of money on the wine here. The best wine for glühwein is a dry red wine such as chianti to cabernet sauvignon.
- Experiment with spices. Germans tend to keep it pretty basic, but you can experiment and add cardamom, vanilla, ginger, or even black pepper. In the Nordic countries, they add blanched almonds and raisins to their gløgg!
- Add a shot if desired. And then there’s the optional schuss, or shot of hard liquor (usually rum or amaretto). I tend to order and make my glühwein without it — especially if it’s the first of several glasses — but it does keep you warmer!
Why you’ll love it
- It’s the perfect cozy drink for winter. A mug of glühwein will warm you up on those cold winter days.
- The recipe scales very easily. Scale it down for a smaller post-dinner cuddle-up, or scale it up for a big holiday crowd.
What is glühwein?
Glühwein is German mulled wine. Glühwein literally translates to “glow-wine” because of how you feel after you’ve been drinking tiny mugs outside in December.
Glühwein is traditionally served at stalls at Christmas markets across Germany and Austria to keep people warm as they shop and socialize.
Key ingredients in glühwein
- Dry red wine: You don’t want to use anything too sweet (or expensive)! Chianti, cabernet Sauvignon, or pinot noir would work all well here.
- Sugar: You can use granulated and turbinado sugar interchangeably in this recipe.
- Orange: Use both the zest and the fresh juice.
- Whole spices: Cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves add a lovely and festive warm flavor to the drink.
- Rum or amaretto (optional): Add a shot just before serving.
Glühwein
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
- 1/2 medium orange
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup turbinado or granulated sugar
- 10 to 20 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry red wine
- Rum or amaretto, for serving (optional)
Directions:
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from a medium orange in wide strips, taking care to avoid the white pith; set aside. Juice 1/2 the orange and set the juice aside.
- Combine 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup turbinado or granulated sugar in a large, nonreactive saucepan and boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the heat and add 10 to 20 whole cloves, two cinnamon sticks, two whole star anise, orange zest, and orange juice. Simmer until a fragrant syrup forms, about 1 minute.
- Reduce the heat further and add one (750-milliliter) bottle dry red wine. Let it barely simmer for at least 20 minutes but up to a few hours. Keep an eye out so that it doesn’t reach a full simmer.
- Strain and serve in small mugs, adding a shot of rum or amaretto and garnishing with the orange peel and star anise if desired.
Recipe notes: Refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to three days. To reheat, rewarm in a pot over medium low heat.
Lily Kelting is a contributor to TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.
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