One of my favorite things about the holidays are Christmas Markets. Traditional to Europe, you can find similar style markets in several U.S. cities and around the globe. Among the stalls of traditional Christmas ornaments and souvenirs, you will find several booths hawking mugs of warm, spiced wine. Known as glühwein, glögg, mulled wine, or some variation of cooked/hot/boiled wine depending on your location, drinking and collecting the unique market mugs has become a Christmas tradition.
The drink was originally invented by the Romans in the second century as a way to fend off the cold weather. As the Roman Empire spread across the continent, so did their love for heated wine. In the middle ages, spices were added to provide medicinal benefits. Herbs and flowers were added as sweeteners to make lower quality wines more palatable. The popularity of the drink declined in most parts of Europe, except in Sweden where the monarchy continued to promote several variations of it. The first published recipe was recorded in 1609 and in 1890, wine merchants shared recipes for their own spiced wine, creating a Christmas tradition.
Today mulled wine is a ubiquitous part of the Christmas markets around the globe. It also serves a purpose, which is to keep you warm while outside in freezing temperatures exploring the market or hanging out with friends. I find that mulled wine with a shot of brandy is especially helpful when at a Christmas market on a cold night!
Even if COVID prevents you from visiting a local Christmas market this year, you can still have the experience by making your own mulled wine. Some grocery stores carry pre-made mulled wine that you just heat up on the stove but here is an easy recipe to make yourself.
Wine: Use a dry red wine with high alcohol (the heat will evaporate some of the alcohol). While you don’t want to use an expensive bottle, it should not be a cooking wine. Try an affordable bottle of Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, or even a Georgian Saperavi!
Spices: It’s always best to use fresh whole spices but dried can also work. Just watch the amount, spices are potent and you don’t want to over spice the wine.
Extras: Try your wine with a shot of brandy or port wine!
Die Feuerzangenbowle: If you want to give your mulled wine a little kick, you can try this German tradition. Soak a sugar load in rum and put in on a wire mesh over the wine while it’s still in the pot, then light the sugar on fire and watch it melt into the wine.
A Christmas Market in Munich Germany
