Glogg – Nordic Mulled Wine

Get cozy with this Scandinavian mulled wine (Gløgg/Glögg). It’s sweet and aromatic – all you could want on a cold winter night. It’s perfect for Christmas celebrations, no matter where you are. It’s made with red wine, aromatic spices, and served with raisins and almonds!

Ingredients

Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.

Here’s what you need to make this easy recipe:

• Red wine – you can use any red wine that you like to drink on its own, but it needs to be dry (this means it’s more sour than sweet). You don´t have to use pricey wine for this recipe but it should taste good on its own.
• Orange – preferably organic since the wine will be infused with the zest. You could also add 1/2 lemon.
• Brown sugar and honey – to sweeten your mulled wine. I prefer brown sugar for its caramel flavor with a hint of honey. I wouldn´t add more honey since its flavor is too pronounced but a small amount makes a lovely addition. You can also use white sugar but it will taste better with brown sugar.
• Aromatic spices – cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, fresh ginger, cloves, black peppercorns. You need to use whole spices and not ground spices. They will infuse wine with amazing flavor and won´t make it cloudy or gritty. You could use ground spices in a pinch but be careful and don´t add too much.
• Brandy – is added to make the drink a little stronger, since a small amount of alcohol will evaporate during heating the wine, and the drink is diluted with the other ingredients. You can omit it. You can also add rum, vodka, or aquavit, which would be most traditional, but it’s difficult to buy.
• Raisins and almonds – it is what differentiates Glogg the most from mulled wine recipes from other countries. I love this addition, raisins get soft and spiced and almonds add crunch to the drink. I really liked these in my mulled wine.

How to make Glogg step-by-step

Juice the oranges. Cut the peel from one orange (or half a large orange) into wedges then remove the white pith.

(1 large orange or 2 medium)

Add the orange zest (just the orange part, discard the white pith), orange juice, water, sugar, honey, ginger (peeled and cut into slices), cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and black peppercorns to a medium saucepan.

(3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar (100g), 2 Tbsp honey, 1-inch (2.5cm) fresh ginger or 1/2 ts dried, 8 cardamom pods, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 cloves, 6 black peppercorns)

Bring to a boil then simmer at low heat for 20 minutes. Let steep for 30 minutes or longer, overnight or even 1-3 days.

Strain the syrup and discard the spices.

Add the syrup, red wine, brandy, and raisins to a medium pot.

(1 bottle (750ml) wine, 1/4 cup (60ml) brandy, 1/2 cup raisins)

Heat very slowly at low heat until hot but not boiling, it should take about 20 minutes (you can check the temperature with a thermometer, it should not exceed 167°F / 75°C or the alcohol will start to evaporate).

Ladle the wine into heatproof glasses, serve warm.

Add flaked almonds to the glasses (as much as you’d like). You can serve the glasses with a spoon to snack on the raisins and almonds.

(1/2 cup flaked almonds)

Enjoy!

Recipe FAQ’s

What is Gløgg/Glögg?

Glogg is a Scandinavian mulled wine, very popular in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. It’s called Gløgg in Danish and Norwegian and Glögg in Swedish. Similar recipes are also popular throughout Europe, for example, in Germany, Austria, and Poland. It’s most popular at Christmas time and often served at Christmas markets.

What is the difference between Glögg/Gløgg and German mulled wine?

Nordic Glogg and German Glühwein are very similar but slightly different. Glogg is usually much sweeter and is more alcohol-heavy (different spirits are added to the red wine). Different spices are also added to Glogg – for example, black peppercorns or fresh ginger. You won’t find these spices in most Glühwein recipes.

How to store Glogg?

Strain the wine and keep it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. It tastes really good reheated.

Is Glögg alcoholic?

Yes, Glögg is an alcoholic beverage, It’s made with red wine and often stronger spirits such as aquavit, vodka, rum, port wine, or brandy.

Is Glögg strong?

Glogg is typically a very strong alcoholic beverage. Many traditional Glogg recipes were too strong for me (in terms of alcohol content) so my recipe is a little bit lighter and easier to drink.

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