Glühwein

Recently, I was in Germany at a Christmas market and had this wonderful holiday drink for the first time. I Googled it and got many variations. Does anyone have a tried and true, authentic glühwein recipe?

Stephen will and it will no doubt be better than Germany ever thought it could be!

Ray,

I'm also a big fan of the Gluhwein. We first encountered it on a really cold day in Salzburg, Austria. I don't have a recipe, but Old Town Liquors usually carries a pre-made version during Winter. I cannot remember the brand name, but I'm sure Carmen can point you toward it. I'm not usually a big fan of pre-mixed/pre-sweetened wine-type things, but this stuff tastes exactly like what we encountered in Europe. (Probably because they were simply opening bottles of pre-made stuff behind the bar)

The basic recipe:

Bottle of red wine. Not too dry. Not too sweet
Half a cup of water
Half a cup of Port or Brandy
Six whole cloves
1-2 Cinnamon sticks//quills
Tbsp Sugar
1 Orange or lemon

Peel Citrus and thinly slice leftover fruit

Cloves, Cinnamon, sugar, and citrus-peel in the water and bring quickly to boil, then simmer for ten minutes. Let cool a minute or so. Add wine, sliced fruit, and port/brandy. On low to Medium low heat, allow the Glühwein to reach drinking temperature (about like coffee or tea). Ladle into heated mugs. If it seems too dry, add some more sugar.

Warning: Never bring the Glühwein itself to a boil. This contravenes all known German taboos and bad, bad things will happen. Heavy industry production will increase and Poles will begin nervously eyeing the Western border. Seriously, don't boil the Glühwein.

P.S. the recipe is infinitely variable and I know several people who like a couple of slices of Ginger in there for a certain kick. Some folks omit the port/brandy and leave out a bottle of fruit brandy for those who want to add a shot to their mug.

P.S.S. Buying pre-mixed Glühwein is also a social taboo, even though that's exactly what most of the stuff at the Christmas Markets is. Serving it to your own guests however, is very poor form.