Glögg

Yesterday we hit up a Swedish Christmas market in Atlanta, GA.  I know what you're thinking -- where on earth did you find a Swedish Christmas market?  Well, we didn't find it - it found us.  Like all things related to this Swedish move/adventure, these things are just falling into place.

We entered to the sound of a men's choir singing Christmas carols -- loved it -- and walked around checking out the local Atlanta-Swedish entrepreneurs.  We spoke to a handbag maker and she reiterated how much we would love Stockholm.  She then went onto complain about how she hates going back because she ends up spending too much time with her parents and "needs more space." This little vignette reminded me that people everywhere look to escape to "somewhere else" and are confronted with the same family issues regardless of what country you are from.

We were hunnngary so we stood in an enormously long line for some items on a menu we have never heard of before. Glögg? What on earth is that?  A quick iPhone google search informed us that we were in for a delicious treat (see recipe below).  We wound our way to the front of the line, bought some Swedish hot dogs (snappy!) and some deliciously warm Glögg.  The kids were running around outside in a fenced in area and everyone was enjoying the tasty beverage with slivered almonds and raisins.  We concluded our Swedish research complete and decided that if the Swedes are anything like the people we met at the Swedish Christmas market, we were going to have an awesome time!

Glögg Recipe

Glögg is hot, spiced wine, perfect for cold winter evenings. Just follow this easy Glogg recipe to make your own great-tasting spiced wine. Variations are optional and add great personalized taste to your own "Glögg"!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of red wine
• 0.5 Liter inexpensive brandy or vodka
• 10 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick (broken down)
• 1/2 orange peel (dried or fresh)
• 1/2 lbs sugar (regular or lumps)
• Optional additions: 5 cloves, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup almonds, 5 dried figs

Preparation:

Heat the wine and brandy spices, fruit, and nuts in a pot (and any optional additions you might like.)

Be careful not to boil the mixture; just let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

Then, strain through a cloth to remove all additions.

Serve your Glogg hot over lumped sugar (or with regular granulated sugar).

Optional: You can also serve the Glogg with raisons or almonds. If you'd like the drink to be stronger, use more brandy.

This Glogg recipe makes approx 1.5 Liter (close to 1/2 gallon).