If you’re not familiar, it’s a type of mulled wine that’s popular in Germany and other parts of Europe.Glühwein is typically made in huge batches and served by the flagon at German Christmas markets, and, frankly, we’re baffled as to why it’s not more popular in the States.If you’ve never tried it before, you’re missing out — specially as we enter the coldest, finger-freezing months of winter.
Recommended Videos
The thing is, there’s not really a hard-set recipe for how to make glühwein. It’s one of those open-ended things that everyone has their own unique take on. That’s not to say you should just jump in and start making it blindly, however. You can definitely botch it and make an undrinkable brew if you’re not careful.
Related
- Whiskey upgrade: How to fat wash your favorite whiskey or bourbon to add new depths of flavor
- How To Make a Classic Amaretto Sour, Your New Favorite co*cktail
To help guide you on this boozy mission, we’ve outlined a set of open-ended directions that you can tweak and adjust to your liking.
Ingredients
- Red wine (we suggest something dry like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon; do not use Merlot)
- Cloves
- Cinnamon sticks
- Orange peels, orange slices, or just a whole orange (whichever you prefer)
- Orange bitters (or liqueur)
- Sugar
Optional additions:
- Nutmeg
- Anise
- Honey
- Lemon or lime
- Brandy
Instructions
- Start by dumping all your wine into a crock pot, then turn it to itslowest heat setting. Alternatively, you can put the wine in a large pot, place it on a stove top, and keep the heat on low.
- Toss in thecloves, cinnamon, and orange. Don’t go overboard — we recommend starting with 5 whole cloves and 2 cinnamon sticks per 750 ml (one bottle) of wine, then scaling up from there.If you’ve got spices in packet form, use one per 750 ml of wine.
- Put a lid on your mixture and let it warm up slowly, giving plenty of time for the spices to mingle with the wine.
- Once it starts to heat up (you should notice condensed alcohol vapor on the lid), stir in some sugar. The amount you add is up to you, but we recommend about 1/4 cup per 750 ml of wine. Start with a little less than that, then gradually add more until you hit your preferred sweetness level.
- While you’re at it, taste for the cinnamon and clove. If the spices are overwhelming, add more wine; if they’re not strong enough, add more spices — but go in small increments no matter what you do.
- Once you’re at optimal sweetness/spice levels, add a few dashes of orange bitters. Stir it in dash by dash until the orange flavor is about as strong as the clove and cinnamon. If you don’t have orange bitters, a couple shots of orange liqueur (such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier) will workjust as well.
- Let it cook long enough for the flavors to mingle (usually around 20 to 40 minutes total) and then serve it piping hot. Garnish with some orange peel if you want to be fancy, or maybe even a cinnamon stick if you want to be downright swanky.
The best advice we can give you is to treat it like an ongoing experiment. Taste your mixture often and make little adjustments along the way until you’re satisfied with the taste.
Once you’ve got the basics down, you can add in your own flourishes: some lemon or lime to give it a bit more zing, some brandy to make it warmer on the way down, or otherwintry spices. Nutmeg makes it feel more Christmasy, anise gives it a subtle liquorice-like note, and vanilla adds a silky touch. We’ve even seen people throw in pieces of fresh ginger.Your personal touches will make this wintertime favorite a tradition for years to come.
If you’re craving something more chocolatey, try out this recipe for red wine hot cocoa. And if you need some tunes to listen to while you’r whipping up all this booze, may we suggest our Christmas playlist?
Editors' Recommendations
- Your new favorite winter co*cktail is red wine…hot chocolate?
- How to Make an Eggnog and Mix into 6 co*cktail Recipes
- Tannat May Be Your New Favorite Barbecue Wine
You should know how to make these incredible sauces
Mastering these sauces will make you look like a pro in the kitchen
A good sauce is a core component of culinary culture. Knowing how to make a handful of them can elevate your kitchen game to unforeseen heights. Often, a good sauce is the star of the show. After all, what would Thanksgiving turkey be without gravy? Or Eggs Benedict without hollandaise?
Now, we don't expect you to pull a Bearnaise sauce out of your hat at a moment's notice. But you should be able to whip up a solid tomato-based sauce for pasta, or a good teriyaki sauce for rice and veggies or skewered proteins. We know, there are great pre-made options out there, from complex fish sauce to throw-it-on-anything Japanese barbecue sauce. Yet, you know as well as we do that when you pull it off from scratch, it's more rewarding and can even taste better.
Read more
Try these 11 foods high in vitamin D for healthy bones
Thinking about vitamin D levels and bone health? These foods will help you in those departments
Remember all those glasses of milk you chugged when you were growing up, convinced it would keep your bones strong? Well, there's truth to that, but vitamin D plays a major role too. On top of keeping your skeleton in good working order, it creates key hormones that help out with keeping inflammation in check and your immune system thriving.
Our bodies make vitamin D, especially when we're hanging out in the sun (the beaches of Hawaii, anyone?). For us mainlanders stuck in the throes of late fall and early winter, funding sunshine can be tough this time of year. Folks everywhere from Portland to New York Citycan go weeks without seeing the big glowing star in the sky. Fear not, there are other ways to keep your vitamin D levels where they ought to be.
Speaking of upping your intake, the current recommended daily value of vitamin D for most adults is 800 IU or 20μg. That said, your needs may be higher or lower, particularly if you don’t get much direct sun exposure. The tricky part is that very few foods are naturally high in vitamin D, so if you're looking to boost your levels significantly, you may want to consider a vitamin D supplement or a form of light therapy. That said, the foods high in vitamin D listed below are nutritious additions to your diet and can help ensure you're getting adequate amounts of vitamin D throughout the day.
Fatty fish
Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines are among the best dietary sources of vitamin D you can find. A 6-ounce filet of salmon, for instance, provides nearly 150% of the daily value, with 28.4μg. Canned salmon is also a great option, as it provides about 91% of the daily value in a 3-ounce serving and requires no cooking time at all.
Canned salmon is also quite high in calcium, along with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, and protein. Other fatty fish, including smoked whitefish, swordfish, rainbow trout, canned sardines, halibut, and tilapia, each provide over 30% of the daily value of vitamin D, with trout, swordfish, and whitefish providing nearly 75%.
Read more
Our 5 favorite brandy drinks, ranked
The best brandy drinks, ranked
Brandy is much more than an old-timey drink your grandparents enjoyed sipping in front of a roaring fireplace on a cold winter night. It’s a complex, flavorful, warming spirit that you might know by a variety of names.
On top of the brandy itself, the spirit’s umbrella encompasses cognac, calvados, Armagnac, pisco, fruit brandies, and more. That being said, today we’re most interested in grape-based, aged, flavorful, classic brandy.
Read more
