Authentic Swedish Glögg Food

SWEDISH GLOGG

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest; stir in sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat, and allow to steep overnight.
• Place the raisins and almonds into a large saucepan. Strain the sugar water into the raisins, then pour in Muscatel, port, and brandy. Place over medium-high heat, and cook until hot but not simmering. Serve warm in a mug with some fruit and almonds in each cup.

OLD-FASHIONED SWEDISH GLOGG

Steps:

• Heat the port wine over medium heat until just below the simmer point in a large stockpot with a lid. Add bourbon and rum, and bring back to just below simmering. Save the bottles and their caps for storing leftover glogg.
• While the wine and liquors are heating, place the cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange peel onto the center of the square of cheesecloth. Gather together the edges of the cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen twine to secure.
• When mixture is very hot but not boiling, carefully light it with a long-handled match. Wearing a heatproof cooking mitt, carefully pour the sugar into the flames, and let the mixture burn for 1 minute. Put the lid on the stockpot to extinguish the flames, and turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool, covered, for about 10 minutes; add the cheesecloth bundle of spices and the raisins and almonds to the warm wine mixture and let it cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Strain the cooled glogg and reserve the raisins and almonds.
• To store, pour strained glogg into the bottles, recap, and keep upright in a cool dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate the steeped raisins and almonds in a covered bowl or jar for up to 1 year.
• To serve, pour glogg into a saucepan and warm over low-medium heat until hot but not simmering, about 5 minutes. Ladle 3 ounces of warmed glogg into a small coffee cup or small Swedish-style glogg mug, and garnish each serving with a few reserved raisins and almonds.

GLOGG

Steps:

• Peel the orange zest into strips. Cut away any pith and discard; save the flesh for another recipe. Put the zest in a big pan with the wine, sugar, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, raisins (or sultanas) and almonds. Warm gently for 10-15 mins, never letting the mixture boil. Stir in the vodka or aquavit and serve warm.

TRADITIONAL SWEDISH GLOGG

Steps:

• 1. Mix all liquid ingredients in a 2qt saucepan. Turn on heat to low.
• 2. Add cinnamon and cardamom, heat just long enough to bring steam to rise.
• 3. Add sugar to taste, stir until dissolved. If using a slow-cooker, you can just leave it on warm at this point with a ladle ready to serve.
• 4. To serve, put a few currants or raisins, a couple of almonds in the bottom of demi-tasse cups (espresso cups). Ladle the punch over the garnish. Drink up!
• 5. A note of warning: This tastes very mild and innocent, and you're drinking from these little, tiny cups. Be very mindful of how much you're drinking - it packs a wallop!

SWEDISH MULLED WINE (GLOGG)

Steps:

• Combine wines in a large saucepan. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of citrus fruits. Squeeze fruits and add juice to wine. Tie up lemon peel, orange peel and spices in cheesecloth and add to wine. Add raisins, almonds and sugar.
• Bring wine mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes, or until flavors are well blended and almonds are soft. Skim wine from time to time to remove any foam. Taste glogg and add sugar as necessary.
• Just before serving, add bitters and aquavit or vodka. Ladle glogg into mugs or cups and provide each guest a spoon for eating the raisins and almonds.