Glögg, gløgg or glögi is a spiced, often

alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...

mulled wine Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is ...

, or spirit of Swedish origin. It is a traditional Swedish drink during winter, especially around

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

History

In the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

, hot wine has been a common drink since at least the 16th century. The original form of glögg, a spiced liquor, was consumed by messengers and postmen who travelled on horseback or skis in cold weather. Since the early 19th century, glögg has been a common winter drink, mixed and warmed with juice,

syrup In cooking, syrup (less commonly sirup; from ; , beverage, wine and ) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a Solution (chemistry), solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but ...

, and sometimes with a smaller quantity of harder spirits or punsch. Glögg came to Finland from Sweden at the end of 19th century. The Finnish word ''glögi'' comes from the Swedish word ''glögg'', which in turn comes from the words ''glödgat vin'' or hot wine. Due to

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

, consumption of glögg almost stopped completely. When prohibition was lifted in the 1930s glögg was advertised in Fenno-Swedish magazines, and in the 1950s and 60s, the drinking of glögg was a Fenno-Swedish tradition. At the end of the 1960s and beginning of the 1970s, glögg recipes began to also appear in Finnish-language magazines, after which glögg became a Christmas tradition in the whole of Finland. While mulled wine (''hõõgvein'') was long known and popular in Estonia, Swedish-style glögg (''glögi'' in Estonian) spread into Estonia only in the 1980s and 1990s, mostly via Finland, and local commercial production of glögi started in Estonia in 1995.

Traditions

Glögg is a traditional Swedish drink during winter, especially around

Recipes

Glögg recipes vary widely; variations commonly start with white or sweet wine or spirits such as brandy or cognac. The production of glögg begins by boiling water and adding spices to it. After a few minutes of simmering, the mixture is sieved and fruit juice, wine or clear spirits are added. Other versions begin by warming up the wine, alcohol, and sugar (not boiling it) and letting the spices steep in it overnight. The most common spices in glögg are

cloves Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or fragrance in consumer products, ...

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...

and

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

. Other common ingredients can include citrus peel from oranges or lemons,

raisins A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, the word ''raisin'' is reserv ...

, or

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

s. Glögg can also be made without alcohol by replacing the wine with fruit or berry juices. Ready-made glögg is usually based on

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

juice, sometimes also blackcurrant juice, mixed fruit juice, apple juice or wine. There are also stronger, rum-based types of glögg. All glögg is warmed up before use, but if it is wine-based or high in alcohol content, it should not be heated to

boiling point The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor. The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding envi ...

. It is common to add whole almonds or raisins to glögg while it is being warmed up or just before drinking.

Footnotes

References

External links