In my opinions, all boozy holiday beverages should be warmed. Spiked ciders, hot chocolate with a shot of something, mulled wines—I could drink them all December long. That’s why, when I tried this heated drink during my Christmas season in Denmark, I knew it would be a holiday staple for years to come.
Whether you like your holiday drinks warm or bubbly, candy cane-flavored or full of eggnog, we’ve got the perfect drink for you. Read below for my recipe for gløgg, plus links to some of the best holiday bevs from around the web.
Danish Gløgg (Mulled White Wine)
The recipe below calls for whole spices, but if you cant find them at your grocery store (or don’t want to pay for them), you can substitute the first six ingredients with some store-bought mulling spices. Then add in the peppercorns, the bay leaf, the ginger, and the lemon zest for a little variation in flavor.
- 8 star anise
- 1 crushed nutmeg
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 8 allspice seeds
- 8 juniper berries
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 40 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium-sized chunk of ginger, peeled and sliced up
- Zest of 2 lemons (I used a vegetable peeler for larger zests)
- Up to 4 bottles of dry white wine (like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
- Sugar to taste
- Apple cider (optional)
- Dark rum (optional)
Combine all of your spices and crush them up a bit. If you have a mortar and pestle, this it the perfect excuse to use it, but otherwise just use a sturdy bowl and the blunt end of a knife. If you’re using store-bought mulling spices, you can skip this step.
Next, put your spices in a large pot along with the ginger and lemon peel, then add 6 cups of water. If you have a glass pot, use it—this will keep the drink from getting any sort of metal taste. Bring water and the spices to a boil and then allow to boil for an hour. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit overnight.
The next day, strain your gløgg mixture using a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or coffee filter. At this point, you can put the mixture in a bottle or pitcher and keep it in the fridge for weeks (perfect for preparing ahead for parties).
On the night that you’re serving it, combine 1 1/4 cup of gløgg mixture with every 1 bottle of wine you are using (4 bottles should use up about all of the mixture) and reheat over medium-low heat. Make sure not to let it come to a boil or else all the alcohol will evaporate! You can also substitute one or two bottles of wine with apple cider, or substitute all of the wine with cider for a booze-free drink.
If you’d like to make the drink even more merry, add some dark rum right before serving to your taste (or just leave the bottle out and let people spike their own).
Other Warmers
- Hot Gin Punch (Refinery 29)
- Spiked Hot Chocolate With Marshmallow Vodka Whipped Cream (Nutmeg Nanny)
- Hot Buttered Rum (Not Without Salt)
- Chai Hot Toddy (Brit & Co.)
- Spiked Maple Apple Cider (A Beautiful Mess)
Holiday Not-So-Classics
- Boozy Eggnog Cocktail (Fork Knife Swoon)
- Winter White Cosmo (The Clever Carrot)
- Berry and Pear Tree Martini (She Knows)
- Candy Cane Cocktail (Boulder Locavore)
- Cranberry Mojito (Vegetarian Ventures)
Break Out the Bubbly
- Cranberry Pear Ginger Fizz (Brit & Co.)
- Pomegranate Champagne Punch (20Something Cupcakes)
- Vanilla Plum Sparkler (The Blonde Gourmand)
- The Black Velvet (NY Times)
- Grown-Up Shirley Temple (The Effortless Chic)
Photo courtesy of Erin Greenawald.
