I started blogging in 2017, and the first Christmastime recipe I reviewed included mulled wine. I loved it! And I haven’t made mulled wine since, either for the blog or just for us. I have no idea why not, but that’s about to change. I found this Glögg: Swedish Mulled Wine recipe, and I had to make it. It got my attention because I like mulled wine, and I discovered I have some Swedish blood from my dad’s side of the family after taking an Ancestry.com gene test. I love to use cooking as a way to travel and get in touch with my roots, so this recipe is a little special for me. Let’s give it a try!
Sipping this syrupy, aromatic wine is like coming home to a crackling fire – it will warm you from your head to your toes, it will make you glad for the moment, and it will fill your heart with longing for the people and places you’ve loved.
The Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for this drink were in my pantry, so that left me to shop for just a few items. I picked up a bottle of Three Wishes Cabernet Sauvignon for $2.99. I know $3 wine sounds like it would be awful, but it’s good. Drinkable good, and such a bargain! Check out the Vivino rating & reviews if you don’t believe me.
Fresh ginger and blanched almonds finished off my shopping list for this recipe, but I couldn’t find the almonds. Instead, I bought a bag of whole almonds and blanched them myself. I forgot to time it, but it was very easy. Here’s how:
- Bring a few cups of water to boil in a small saucepan.
- Boil the almonds for 60 seconds.
- Drain the almonds and immediately run cold water over them to cool.
- The brown peels will be loosened. Just squeeze the almonds to slide them out of their peels.
The Process
Now for the “hard part”, making the glögg. And yes, I am being very sarcastic because this recipe is super simple. I used a large saucepan, but a small saucepan would be fine (you can also make this recipe in the slow cooker, but it takes longer). This recipe uses 4 cups of liquid, which is only 1 quart.
What’s next? Throw everything but the blanched almonds into the pot, stir to mix, and simmer for 1-2 hours. The most “work” is slicing up the ginger—you don’t even have to peel it!
After the time is up, strain the liquid and serve warm. I’m sure I stirred the mixture a few times while it cooked. I couldn’t help going back into the kitchen because the mulling wine smelled so good!
One thing I need to mention is the recipe said to simmer on medium-low, so I set the dial on my (electric) stove to 2 (out of 10). It also doesn’t specify whether the pot should be covered, so I left it uncovered.
The glögg ended up cooking down from 4 cups to just 1 cup. I planned to simmer it longer, but I was concerned at how much it had reduced and stopped it after 80 minutes. Next time I will cover the pan. I might even try lowering the heat.
