Author Notes
Glögg is the name of mulled (heated and spiced) wine in Sweden and Iceland; it goes by other similar names in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Estonia, and it is called Gluhwein in German-speaking parts of Europe.
This Cranberry Glögg contains more juice than wine, and you are welcome to swap the proportions. You can use more wine and less juice, or no juice at all. I have some lovely apple brandy from a local winery, so I added a little as glögg recipes do sometimes contain brandy; I’ve also seen ones that contain vodka, rum or aquavit.
Note that if you don’t want a very alcoholic drink, you can boil the mixture so that some (or most/all) of the alcohol cooks off. Most recipes tell you to keep the temperature very low so this doesn’t happen, but it is up to you. If you do want it to be alcoholic but you find that you’ve heated it too much, you can always add a splash of brandy or one of the other forms of alcohol before serving.
On the flip side, if you want a completely alcohol-free version, you can make a glogg-like drink just with juice. I think it would be nice with a mixture of cranberry juice and pear or apple cider, for example. Pomegranate juice might also be great. If you are using only juice and no alcohol, you really won’t need the additional sweetener (unless you’re using unsweetened cranberry juice, which is incredibly tart on its own).
In order to really taste the spices, it’s important to let all the flavors infuse for a while. Though I didn’t use one, a crockpot might be a good way to go with this recipe; you can leave it on low for quite a while (a day or so) before serving and I think it would just get better and better. —WinnieAb
Ingredients
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32 ounces
unsweetened organic cranberry juice
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2 cups
red wine
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1/2-1 cups
brandy
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1/2 cup
brown sugar or raw sugar or honey
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5
cloves
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10
cardamom seeds/pods
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2
cinnamon sticks
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1
one inch piece of ginger, smashed with the side of a knife
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1/2 cup
dried cranberries or raisins
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1/2
orange peel (dried or fresh)-optional
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7-10
dried figs, cut in half- optional
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1/2 cup
blanched almonds-optional
Directions
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Place the spices in a cheesecloth "bag" (tied with string or a rubber band) and add to a large pot with the other ingredients. Warm over very low heat for about an hour. Turn heat off and allow to sit at room temperature, covered, for several hours or overnight. Discard spice bag and reheat over low heat before serving. Serve each cup with some of the dried fruit and the optional almonds.
I grew up in a restaurant family (my parents owned the now closed Quilted Giraffe in NYC) and I've always loved to cook.
My interest in the connection between food and health led me to pursue a graduate degree in naturopathic medicine. I don't practice medicine anymore; I have a blog called Healthy Green Kitchen that I started in May of 2009 and I wrote a book called One Simple Change that will be published in January, 2014.
I live in upstate New York with my family and many pets.
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