What is Swedish glögg made of?

Glögg Ingredients Alcohol: This big batch Swedish glögg recipe is quite boozy. It calls for a combination of port wine (don't throw away the bottles!), bourbon whiskey, and white rum . Spices: The glögg gets its warm and cozy flavor from cloves, a cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods.

What is Glögi made of?

The most common spices in glögg are cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger . Other common ingredients can include citrus peel from oranges or lemons, raisins, or almonds. Glögg can also be made without alcohol by replacing the wine with fruit or berry juices.

What does glögg taste like?

Glogg allows for more control: it tastes deeply and darkly of wine and citrus and spice , and you may add, or entirely omit, sugar (or liquor). It brings a rosy flush to all who drink it — good cheer in a cup, accompanied, ideally, by the thinnest, crispiest, spiciest gingersnaps.

What flavors are in glögg?

Glögg or mulled wine is a Nordic, and especially Swedish winter treat that is made of fortified wine and spiced up with citrus, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger .

The taste of glögg decreases with age , but if it has passed it's best before date but you find that it still taste up to standard, then, by all means, enjoy! The product keeps well if stored unopened in a dark and cool place that maintains an even temperature.

What kind of red wine for glögg?

This recipe works best with dry, unsweet wines such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot .

What is glögg in English?

glogg • \GLUG\ • noun. : a hot spiced wine and liquor punch served in Scandinavian countries as a Christmas drink .

“According to tradition, Gustav Vasa , King of Sweden and Finland, invented glögi in the sixteenth century. He came up with a recipe that contained warming flavours in the middle of the winter: Hot red wine, honey, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves.

Does glögg have alcohol?

Glögg is an essential part of the winter season in Sweden as well as the other Nordic countries. Officially speaking, the drink is defined by the spices used in it, namely cloves and / or cinnamon. The base also needs to be either white or red wine and have an alcohol content of at least 7% .

What is Swedish vodka made from?

Guide to Swedish Vodka It was common, until recently, for most vodka distilleries in the Scandanavian nation to produce bottles of vodka made from potato , however, distilleries now often use grains, such as wheat, instead.

What is the difference between mulled wine and glögg?

Glögg is typically made with a red wine base, along with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, and sometimes also with added spirits such as aquavit or brandy. Mulled wine can be made with either red or white wine and has a similar spice mix, but without the addition of spirits.

What is the Swedish drink glögg?

Glögg is a spiced, sugared and simmered (or 'mulled') red wine . In Sweden this is a beverage that people consume almost exclusively during the Christmas season, usually with raisins and blanched almonds added. Glögg is preferably served in a special little mug with a handle.

What percentage of alcohol is in Swedish glögg?

Served hot, Two Swede's Glögg is a combination of port, shiraz and brandy combined with cinnamon, cardamom, clove, orange rind and sugar. It's similar to German glühwein, popular at European Christmas markets, but it has approximately twice the alcohol content, at 17 percent ABV (alcohol by volume).

How to Make Glögg - A Swedish Recipe (2024)

A traditional warmed wine beverage perfect for the festive season

To put it simply, glögg is the Scandinavian take on mulled wine. It’s spicy, it’s warming and it’s definitely strong! Glögg is seen as a very social drink, cooked on the stovetop and best enjoyed with friends and families.

There are slight variations in its name and ingredients across countries. In Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Norway it is called gløgg; the Finnish and Estonians glögi, whilst the Swedish and Icelandics refer to it as glögg – pronounced “glue-gh“

We will share with you here what we believe to be as close possible to the Swedish Glögg recipe, but there will, of course, be many variations to this recipe you can try. No doubt if any of you have lived in or visited Scandinavia you would have tasted some variations.

This recipe is part of our favouriteChristmas co*cktailsseries. You may also like to check out our non-alcoholic drinks collection for perfectChristmas Mocktails.

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How to Make Glögg - A Swedish Recipe (1)

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Tools you will need for making glögg

Saucepan
Strainer or cheesecloth
Zester
Measuring cups and spoons
Glasses of your choices – a tall handled glass looks attractive but a brandy glass looks great too.

Find all our favourite tools for your home co*cktail bar here.

Yield: 8 to 10 serves

Swedish Glögg

A wonderful winter warming recipe perfect for festive occasions you can cook this recipe in advance to save yourself time and stovetop space!

Ingredients

750ml bottle red wine
750ml bottle of port
100ml brandy
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 tablespoons of raisins
2 tablespoons freshly sliced ginger
1 tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon cardamom pods, crushed
1 stick of cinnamon
2 tablespoons slivered/blanched almonds
Garnish: optional slices of orange and extra raisins, cinnamon stick

Instructions

Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan first until the sugar is dissolved
Add wine, port, brandy, orange zest, raisins, ginger, cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon to the saucepan and heat on a low temperature for 30 minutes
Set aside to steep for a further 30 minutes
Strain and remove the fruits and spices
Serve straight away or reheat the pot before serving
Serve into wine glasses or your favourite glass mug, garnish with a sprinkle of almonds, raisins and a slice of orange or cinnamon stick

Variations to the Swedish glöggrecipe

This is but one take on the Swedish recipe! Even amongst the Swedish cooks and food bloggers we studied, we found many variations.

Many suggest replacing the port with bourbon; only port should be used and NOT red wine; or even that a full measure of brandy should be used in equal parts with the wine & port! Indeed it might still taste nice but is a fairly potent blend. Most types of brandy and bourbon are around 40% ABV. Port is only around 20% ABV.

As the slivered almonds seem to be a common theme – why not also throw in a dash of amaretto? You need to experiment what works best, it’s a fun game of stovetop guesswork, just make sure there’s some left for your guests to try!

Non-alcoholic glögg

A good non-alcoholic version of glöggis to replace the wine and port with grape juice and apple juice. You will still get all the same wonderful spicy aromas but without the boozy component. Another alternative is blackcurrant juice with its deep clour and berry flavours. We make ours in pots side by side so the adults and kids can enjoy.

Make glöggahead of time

Glögg is a fabulous batch party drink and a great make-ahead recipe if you have a busy cooking day ahead. Simply simmer, steep and strain, then all you need to do is reheat your glöggwhen ready to serve. It can keep up to 1 to 2 weeks after cooking in the fridge.

How to serve your glögg

This is completely up to you. We can find no evidence that there is one particularly traditionally way. Some like it served in a brandy balloon glass while others like the tall handled coffee-cup/hot toddy style glasses.

You can also garnish as you please. Make sure the almonds are blanched/slivered otherwise they can leave a bitter finish.

Drinking glögg cold

Whilst tradtionally seen as a winter drink, glögg can be served like a sangria chilled in the summer over ice.

More Christmas drinks ideas

As well as checking out our complete guide to Christmas co*cktails, you may also be interested in our Christmas gift guides for drink-lovers. We cover everything from stylish glassware for your drinks cabinet through to our favourite gifts for lovers of mulled wine!

If you’re still seeking out that perfect gift idea or stocking stuffer, pop on over for some inspiration here >>

Let us know if you have given our glogg recipe a try in the comments below. Are there any quantities you’ve changed or secret ingredients you’ve added to improve the recipe to your taste?