The food has been prepped, the presents have been wrapped and the kids are all tucked away in their beds pretending to be asleep. That means it's time to plate up up some milk & cookies for Santa and then (finally) sit down and relax with a drink.
So what should you fill your cup with?
Spiked hot chocolate? Could be nice. Christmas beer? Certainly can't go wrong there. A decadent cream liqueur? Nothing wrong with that.
While all of those are fine and dandy, this year you should try making yourself a mug of warm spiced wine from Scandinavia.
Glogg (pronounced "glurg") is very similar to the "gluhwein" that you find at European Christmas markets, but it takes things up a notch with extra spices, edible goodies and considerably more, ahem, "spirit."
You're bound to love it.
It isn't a Christmas get together in Scandinavia without glasses of glogg being guzzled, and it's no exaggeration to say it is the region's flavor of the Holidays.
In fact, Hviids Vinstue-the oldest bar in Copenhagen-takes thing so seriously that they source and bottle their own glogg each year. Then, on November 11th at 11:11 AM, they pour the first glass of the season, (which has become the unofficial kick-off of Christmas in the city).
All during December, you will find Danes, Swedes, Norwegians and Finns gathering together for glogg parties where they will share many special moments over this delicious drink. It is guaranteed to keep you feeling toasty long after you slip away from the fireplace.
Here are some other fun facts about your new favorite winter warmer:
Glogg will typically have two wines as its base: a dry red and a ruby port.
To this base, a spirit is added, and it's this ingredient that gives the drink its punch. The type of spirit is entirely up to glogg-maker, with aquavit-Scandinavia's signature local liquor-being popular in Sweden, brandy dominant in Denmark and vodka prevalent in Finnish versions.
Sugar, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger and the peel of an orange are all added to this potent mix. Raisins and chopped almonds provide the final touch and a tasty booze-soaked treat at the end of each mug.
A great recipe for glogg can be found here.
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