Mulled wine, or wine infused with spices, was known to medieval Europeans and celebrated from at least 300AD, as the first records of spiced wine in the Roman Empire date. And, of course, the Roman legions introduced the spiced wine across Europe.
But the real predecessor of the heated with spices wine is believed to date back to only the 1500s, to a spiced wine called Hippocras, named after Hippocrates and believed to have healing powers over muscle injuries.
By the 17th century, a German variant of mulled wine (Glühwein) made out of wine, sugar, honey, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves was quite popular in Europe and according to the story, the Swedish king Gustav I Vasa, who was fond of this German elixir, coined its Swedish name glödgat vin, which literally translates as “mulled wine”, from glödga (to mull, heat up) and vin (wine).
The name Glögg, as a shortened form, appeared first in print in only 1870.
In the following decades, its popularity spread throughout Europe and in the 1890s it became a Christmas tradition, among from a health potion, prescribed for a wide variety of ailments.
It is the perfect cold-weather drink for après ski and winter holiday season, as it can, at the same time, warm the body and the soul.
An original recipe from 1898 describes the Glögg as made with sediment from port wine barrels, full bodied red wine, cognac, sherry, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, almonds, raisins, and vanilla pods.
Nowadays, Glögg comes in a wide range of flavours and alcoholic strengths, with most common base still been red wine (port or claret), and variations with white wine, brandy, vodka…. and even non-alcoholic ones and often nutmeg, anise, orange peels, ginger and even blanched almonds added to the original ingredients. You can playfully mix your ingredients of choice, keeping in mind that cardamom is the obligatory spice.
The British reader got to firstly read about the Swedish mulled wine in only 1927, in a book, entitled Sweden: “Swedish punsch at the coffee stage, and a very delectable hot beverage called glögg, which is almost as comforting to drink as the mulled claret for which the high table of St. John’s College, Oxford, has become so famous. “
Glögg is usually served warm in a mug, and after dinner. In Sweden, it is usually accompanied by ginger or citrus cookies, along with raisins and almonds from the batch. In Norway, by rice pudding, known as Risgrøt and in Denmark, with fluffy pancakes, Æbleskiver, sprinkled with sugar.
Glögg parties are common winter activities in all Scandinavian countries and any Juleborg (Christmas feast) would not be the same without it.
