Last week at the store, a customer came in looking to purchase inexpensive red wine. With a very heavy accent, he shared that he would be using it to make something. Several times he mentioned what it was, but all I heard was the word “glue”. As he came to the counter, I curiously asked him for further information; he pulled up a recipe on his phone for Glühwein.
As I discovered, Glühwein is the German variation of what we know as mulled or spiced wine. Literally meaning “glow wine”, I imagine it is what comes over you after drinking it on a cold, crisp night. As like many things we do today, the history of mulled wine goes as far back as the Roman Empire. The Romans called it Conditum Paradoxum, boiling honey in wine, then adding spices and dates.
In addition to Glühwein, there are other variations from around the globe. Vino Caliente is a Spanish mulled wine and a traditional drink during the holidays. Vin Brûlé, although a French name meaning “burnt wine”, is Italy’s spiced mulled wine. Also a holiday tradition, you will see this served at outdoor holiday markets. In France, you will drink Vin Chaud, or “hot wine”. My favorite name, Glögg, comes from the Scandinavian countries, where, no doubt, many mugs are consumed during their cold, winter months. All of these mulled, spiced or hot wines are very similar with one suggested variation of alcohol added at the end to each recipe for an additional jolt.
Like my customer, Glühwein is the one I want to try. All other recipes I have seen combine all liquid ingredients in a pot to boil, while Glühwein makes a simple syrup first:
- 1/2 medium orange
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 10 to 20 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry red wine (Cabernet, Merlot, or Sangiovese)
- Rum or amaretto, for serving (optional)
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the orange in wide strips, taking care to avoid the white pith; set aside. Juice the orange and set the juice aside. Combine the water and sugar in a large, nonreactive saucepan and boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the heat and add the cloves, cinnamon, star anise, orange zest, and orange juice. Simmer until a fragrant syrup forms, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat further and add the 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, as you do not want to boil off the alcohol. Strain and serve in small mugs, adding a shot of rum or amaretto and garnishing with the orange peel and star anise if desired.
As we head into the holidays and the cold winter months in most of the world, more and more people will be turning to mulled or hot spiced wine for warmth and comfort. This season, wrap yourself in the glow of a spicy mug.
Cin Cin!