Gluehwein

Glühwein is the smell of every German Christmas market: warm red wine steeped with cinnamon, cloves, and lemon peel, sweetened with sugar, and served steaming in a ceramic mug. This recipe takes the traditional approach of making a spiced syrup first, then adding the wine.

Boiling the spices in sugar water for 20 minutes before the wine goes in extracts their flavor without exposing the wine to prolonged heat. That’s important because the single most critical rule of Glühwein is this: never boil the wine. Boiling burns off the alcohol and turns the wine bitter and flat. You want it as hot as possible without crossing that line.

Using a tea filter bag for the spices keeps them from floating loose in the pot and makes cleanup easy. No fishing out soggy cloves.

A squeeze of lemon juice at the end is the finishing touch that lifts the whole thing. Without it, mulled wine can taste heavy and syrupy. The acid brightens the spices and cuts through the sweetness.

Chef Tips

• Use a decent red wine. It doesn’t need to be expensive, but cooking wine will taste like it. A dry, medium-bodied red like Merlot or a Dornfelder works well.
• Watch the surface of the wine as it heats. Tiny bubbles around the edges are fine. If the surface starts moving, pull it off the heat immediately.
• Make it ahead and keep it warm in a slow cooker on the lowest setting for serving at parties.

Variations

• White Glühwein: Use a dry white wine with star anise and orange peel instead of lemon for a lighter alternative popular in some German regions.
• Spiked version: Add a shot of Amaretto or rum to each mug for a boozier, warmer drink.