Mulled white wine is famous throughout the whole of Scandinavia. This Swedish white glögg has aromas of cardamom, cinnamon, orange, ginger, anise, and cloves. My additional touch was to add some vanilla aromas. I found this drink lovely, it even served as a cold drink with some ice.
This glögg can be made in advance. The flavors intensify while it stands for a while. Scandiuisine also has a recipe for Red wine Swedish glögg.
What is glögg?
Glögg is a traditional warm beverage from Sweden that is often served during the holiday season. It is made from wine or juice and spirit (such as vodka) that is heated, mixed with spices and sugar, and served with almonds and raisins. It is similar to mulled wine or hot spiced cider and is often enjoyed with small biscuits or cookies on the side, like gingerbreads. Some people also add a shot of aquavit, a Swedish spirit, to their glögg for an extra kick.
Ingredients
- Semi-sweet white wine
- Sugar
- Orange
- Cinnamon sticks
- Vanilla bean-optional, can be left out from the recipe
- Star anise
- Ginger-gives some nice heat to the drink
- Green cardamom- this can not be replaced with black cardamom since it tastes very different
- Cloves
Straining the vanilla bean seeds can be messy, so if you don't own any suitable thin cloth or fine strainer, you can leave the vanilla out of the recipe.
Instructions
- Wash and peel your orange. Squeeze the juice in your pot.
- Slice the vanilla bean and add to the pot.
- Add in the sugar and the rest of the spices. Boil for 10 minutes, so the sugar melts.
- Lift from the heat and add in your wine. Let the mix stand for at least 2 hours.
- Strain the drink. Use a fine cloth or piece of paper filter to filter out the vanilla pieces.
- Heat your drink before serving. Add in some almonds and raisins and serve it with a spoon. You can additionally decorate with a piece of orange.
Added alcohol.
This recipe is made with just white wine. You can, though, add some more liquor to your glögg if preferred. White rum, brandy, or vodka are all good options. But for my taste, they all ruin some of the lovely grapefruit taste of the wine.
One good thing to know is that glögg is a sweet drink. It is perfect as an appetizer or a dessert drink. In this recipe, I used sugar as a sweetener, but you could also use honey or maple syrup, both giving it a very different aroma and taste.
How to serve?
If you serve this as a hot drink, a dutch oven would be an option for the pan. For example, Le Creuset has some beautiful white cast iron casseroles to serve this steaming drink. A glass jar is also beautiful if it tolerates heat.
Glögg is usually drunk from a small glass or ceramic cup. If you don't own any, some espresso or coffee cups also work great, especially if you have some added liqueur.
If you gather for a potluck, a thermos keeps this warm for several hours. Serve some raisins and almonds in separate cups. Also, a piece of fresh or dried orange looks nice in the drink.
Glögg is traditionally served with raisins and blanched almonds. Since this is a white glögg, golden raisins would be best colorwise. To decorate the glass, you can even cut some orange wedges or have some orange peel as decor. The raisins and almonds are eaten after drinking the glögg with a small spoon.
What white wine for mulled wine?
Medium sweet white wines are best for white mulled wine. Chardonnay, Riesling, and Moscato are all good options.
Storing and reheating
Store this white glögg in the fridge. For example, in the wine bottle. This makes it airtight, and it does not get any unwanted flavors from the fridge. Glögg will hold for about a week.
Reheat it in a pan before serving, but do not let it boil since the alcohol evaporates. A single serving can be reheated in the microwave. A small cup takes about 30 seconds, and ½ cup of liquid takes around 1 minute to get hot but not boiling.
Other holiday recipes
White glögg
Ingredients
- 1 bottle white wine (half dry-semi sweet chardonnay)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 organic orange
- 2 inches fresh ginger
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 2 pcs whole star anise
- 1 vanilla bean
To serve with
- ¼ cup blanched almonds
- ¼ cup raisins or sultanas
- 1 orange as decoration.
Instructions
- Wash your orange, peel it thinly with a peeler and squeeze the juice in your pot.
- Remove the skin from your ginger and slice it into smaller pieces. Slice your vanilla bean. Open the cardamom pods with your fingers.
- Add in all the spices and the sugar in your pot and boil for 10 minutes, so the sugar melts. Lift from heat and add in your wine.
- Let the glögg stand for at least two hours so that the flavors intensify. Then strain your drink. Use a fine cloth or paper filter to strain the vanilla seeds.
- Warm your glögg before serving so it is steaming hot but not boiling. Add in some raisins and almonds and decorate with orange slices or orange peel.
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