Glühwein (Mulled Wine)
One of the biggest Christmas traditions in Switzerland, Germany and Austria is Glühwein or Mulled Wine - delicious warm wine made with spices and orange that warms up your entire body even on the coldest days. Last year was the first time we made Glühwein at home and absolutely loved it as it’s super easy to make and guests will feel the Christmas spirit right away (especially if it’s cold and snowy outside).
When buying the red wine for the Glühwein make sure you get one that is not too good and not too bad - if the wine is too good you are “wasting it” by warming it up, but if it’s very cheap wine you will get a bad headache the day after. I suggest you buy wine that is around CHF 10 to CHF 15.
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients for the Bread 4 people:
Orange - 1
Water - 170 mL
Brown Sugar - 50 g
Whole Cloves - 20
Cinnamon Sticks - 2
Star Anise - 2
Red Wine - 1 Bottle (7.5 dL)
Preparation:
In a saucepan mix together the water, sugar and cinnamon sticks. Bring to boil and reduce heat right away.
Clean and cut the orange, cut half of the orange into slices and add them to the warm water, with the other half press the juice into the mixture. Add the cloves and star anise and simmer for 20 minutes until it’s thick.
Once it has thickened add the red wine and keep simmering (do not boil!) for 5 minutes.
Use a small sieve to serve the wine or make sure you remove the cloves, anise and orange.