The Best Gløgg (Norwegian Mulled Wine)
This gløgg is one of my favorite cocktails to make for holiday parties and family dinners! It's cozy, warm, spiced, and great for serving a crowd. With bourbon, red wine, cardamom, dried fruit, and nuts, it's so easy and basically tastes like Christmas!
Ingredients
- 2 cinnamon sticks, lightly crushed
- 12 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 8 whole cloves
- 1 inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
- 1 orange, peeled
- 750 milliliters dry red wine (1 bottle)
- 1 cup bourbon or vodka
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds, sliced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
Instructions
- Place the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, ginger, and orange peel in a spice bag or the center of a square of cheesecloth. Tie up with kitchen twine, if necessary.
- In a large saucepan, mix the red wine, bourbon or vodka, sugar, and vanilla. Add the spice bag, nuts, and raisins or cranberries. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is steaming. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Do not let it come to a simmer or boil). Taste and add more sugar 2 Tablespoons at a time, if needed.
- Remove from heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let it steep for at least 1 hour and up to 3-4 hours.
- Gently reheat the gløgg on the stove right before serving. Keep warm on very low heat. Ladle the wine into mugs with little spoons for snacking on the nuts and fruit.
Notes
Avoid adding too many spices to the gløgg or it will overpower the wine. While we want to add some warmth to the gløgg, we still want the flavors of the wine and bourbon to shine through.
Heat the wine gently or you’ll cook off the alcohol in the wine and liquor. Additionally, bringing the wine to a boil or simmer will cook down the wine making it too syrupy. Keep it under 170°F to prevent the alcohol from burning off.
Let the gløgg steep for at least an hour. Like tea, the flavor needs to steep into the wine for the best results. You can even let it sit for up to a few hours if you want to!
This recipe can be doubled or tripled for a party or get together. It’s very forgiving and so great for holiday parties, family dinners, and snow days.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 247kcal, Carbohydrates: 6.4g, Protein: 1.9g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Sodium: 7mg, Potassium: 205mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 1.8g, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @sundaytable.co on Instagram!