Glögg, with an umlaut over the "o," and unpronounceable until imbibed, is a Swedish mulled wine drink that has been served in my family since the dawn of Creation.
I am told that "Glögg" means "glow" and comes from the traditional way of heating it by plunging a glowing poker from the fire into it.
Like Reality, Glögg is constructed, and like Reality, mutable from one iteration to the next.
The origins of the recipe are lost in the fog of Swedish woods, but this is how it goes today:
Take a big pot (size depends on how much you are going to make—multiply the following quantities to increase the volume) and put in a cup of water and a handful of raisins. Make a cheesecloth bag of spices containing about 10 cardamom seeds (shell cracked) and 10 cloves. Fling it in the pot along with a piece of orange peel and 2 or 3 three sticks of cinnamon. Over time you can experiment with spice proportions to mutate the taste to suit yours—a variation of Survival of the Fittest.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, add a cup of red wine, and simmer for 15 more minutes. Add a bottle of red wine, cheap but flavorful, and a bottle of port—I use Tawny.
Cover and heat until steaming, but not boiling. Simmering uncovered and/or boiling removes the alcohol, altering the fabric of Time/Space, wasting everyone's time.
Glögg can be drunk at anytime after completion, but it is best if it sits in the refrigerator a week or so before serving. Be careful when you reheat not to bring it to a boil. Keep it covered when hot. Serve it in a small cup, being sure to include a few raisins, along with a small spoon.
Part of the tradition is to reserve a small portion from year to year to add to each new vintage. This has all manner of Metaphoric virtues. I like to think that I am drinking the same Glögg that my Dad and I drank 50 years ago, and his Father (Far Far) before him, and my Son and Daughter after me.
Submitted by John
Please submit your favorite hot holiday drink to the Annual Mull-Off.
