It was not until I moved to the alpine environment of Dillon, Colorado that I had ever heard of Hot Spiced Wine. Growing up on the plains in central Nebraska I personally had never been exposed to such a thing. I am sure it existed (with all the ethnic diversity found in a rural farming community), and very well may have been a part our neighbors’ holiday traditions, however the knowledge of this drink had somehow escaped me.
Within hours on my first shift working at the ski resort, I was bombarded with requests for drinks that sounded very odd to me. Glue wine? Mold wine? Neither sounded very good, and I could not help wondering why people would choose to drink something that contained adhesives and spores. Of course my naive inquiry’s led to laughter (at my expensive of course), but I was quickly educated on this seemingly strange multi-named beverage, and after sampling it for myself, everything became clear.
Hot Spiced wine, Glühwein, Glögg, Gløgg, Glögi, Mulled wine, Vin Chaud, Quentão, Svařené, Vin Brulé, Glintwein, and Caribou are just a sampling of some of the names this consumable pot of simmer potpourri goes by. The exact origin of the drink is unclear, but appears to date back as far as people have been making wine, and is thought that to have been invented by placing a red-hot fire poker into a glass of wine to kill the bacteria (early fermenting processes left a lot to be desired). Fruits and herbs were added to enhance the taste. The drink was also considered a digestive, and a way to warm the soul on the long dark winter days.
Not long after making the transition from a flat-lander to a mountain boy, hot spiced wine became part of one of my winter traditions, the making of holiday wreaths. I discovered that I enjoyed the aromatic and warming effects of a glass of mulled wine after returning from gathering boughs and branches in the forest behind my house.
Few things I have ever experienced are as wonderful to me as spending time in the winter woods. There is a deafening silence that’s only broken by the crunch of snow under foot, and the sound of your own breath that brings a complete sense of tranquility. I find solitude while at the same time feel somehow embraced by the needled giants that surround me. It is one of my favorite place to be, and maybe that is part of the reason I started making my wreaths, as an excuse to go into the woods.
I was delighted to share this tradition with my good friend and kindred spirit Kathy. With empty packs on our backs and armed with our clippers and cross-country skis, we would head out of the back of the house across the small meadow into the woods. Fall scouting missions had mentally marked the spots for the best blue spruce and jack pine boughs, holly and mistletoe, and willow branches. After carefully trimming each plant so as not to cause harm or visible damage, we would offer thanks to each of them for their contribution, and rush back home to a pan of simmering hot spiced wine.
A warming aromatic and festive drink of red wine and spices.
- 2 bottles Merlot or other fruity red
- 1 bottle Chablis or other sweet white
- 8 ounces cognac or brandy
- 2 cup water
- 1 cup sugar or more to your liking
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 orange sliced
- 1 lemon sliced
- 1 apple sliced
- 1 cup raisin
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 8 cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla pod
- 25 whole cloves
- 20 cardamom seeds
- 4 star anise
- 2 tablespoon whole allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon mace
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Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan and simmer for at least one hour before serving.
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Ladle into cups and garnish with an orange twist and a cinnamon stick.
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Add water as needed if the wine becomes thick.
There are as many different recipes for hot spiced wine as there are pots to cook it in. This is simply my version that I have adapted over time that I think you might like. As with many recipes, this is merely a map to get you started, feel free to add, omit, or adjust any of the ingredients to your personal taste.
I like to make a sachet with cheese cloth to hold all of the spices to prevent small pieces in the drinks.
One winter I made a wreath and sent it to my sister which she hung on the front of her house for the holidays. About the end of January she had decided that enough was enough, and as much as she had enjoyed the fresh wreath it was time for it to go. When she went to remove the wreath, she discovered that a house wren had built a nest in the wreath, and to her surprise there was a baby hatch-ling and several eggs, so she snapped a quick picture and left everything untouched. The wren family lived in the wreath until the babies were big enough to fly away. I don’t think I could have ever received a bigger compliment on a wreath than this!
