Grogs, Nogs and Glühweins – the best German Christmas drinks

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OK – it’s a hard job, but somebody had to do it. As Europe descended into icy chaos and the snow lay thick on the ground, I have been slogging away for you, trialling recipes for the best hot winter drinks Germany can provide. It’s been a tough assignment. I hope you all appreciate the terrible sacrifice I’ve made.

Glühwein is the German standard drink at this time of the year. You get it everywhere, from the Christmas market to the local pub, the café or even the Bundesliga stadium. With the snow we’ve been having (and the way Borussia Mönchengladbach have been playing), you wouldn’t want to drink anything else. Or would you?

Actually, the Germans do an impressive range of warming alcoholic beverages at this time of the year. If you look around you in any German pub, you’ll see a variety of strange steaming punches, nogs and grogs being downed by cheery Teutons. In fact the whole pub will take on a heady scent of hot rum mixed with cinnamon, aniseed, cloves and oranges. Add a crackling log fire and the buzz of happy conversation and you definitely won’t want to leave before closing time.

This unforgiving assignment meant I had to learn the very alchemy of being German. I have been slaving over a hot mulled-wine pot, whisking up egg punch and even tackling the queen of all Germanic specialities – the Feuerzangenbowle (which is traditionally served on New Year’s Eve) – which involves the sort of sugar-pyrotechnics which someone who already polished off two mugs of Glühwein, a grog and a mulled apple wine, really shouldn’t attempt without calling the fire brigade first.

The good news is that my house is still standing, even if I’m not. The better news is that I have now whittled the many fine recipes down to five outstanding winter tipples with which to keep warm this advent. The cockles of your heart will be delighted!

Glühwein recipe

• I litre dry red wine
• 50ml rum
• 2 whole organic oranges, cut into slices
• Juice of 2 oranges
• 7 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 star anise
• 50g brown sugar (or more according to taste)

Put the wine, spices, sliced oranges and orange juice into a enamel or stainless steel pan and heat on a low flame. Do not boil! Add the rum and sugar, stir until the sugar has dissolved and serve hot.

Egg punch recipe (Eierpunsch)

• 10 medium sized eggs
• 1 cup of rum
• 1 cup of water
• 375 g sugar
• 1 lemon (grated rind and juice)
• 1 litre white wine

Place the eggs, sugar, rum, water and grated lemon peel in a double boiler and fill up with white wine up to around 2 cm below the rim. (If you don’t have a double boiler, put a smaller pot inside a large pan of water). As the water in the outer pot starts to boil, whisk the egg-wine mixture vigorously, so that it does not stick. As soon as it starts to thicken, it is ready to drink.

Mulled Frankfurt Apple wine

• I litre of Frankfurt Apple wine (cider works just as well)
• 125ml water
• 60g Sugar
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• Grated rind of 2 lemons

Put the sugar, water, lemon rind and spices into a pan and bring to the boil. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then strain and add to the apple wine. Heat the apple wine until just below boiling point and serve.

Grog

• 200 ml water
• 4cl rum
• 3 tsp brown sugar

Put the sugar and rum in a mug. Boil the kettle and pour hot water into the cup. Stir and drink.

Feuerzangenbowle (Flaming red wine punch)

• 4 litres of sweet red wine
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 10 cloves
• 1 whole organic lemon
• 2 organic oranges
• 40g whole almonds (in their skins)
• 2 tsp whole aniseed
• 10 cardamom pods
• 1 loaf of sugar (in Germany you get pyramid shaped sugar loaves – but you can make your own by putting 300g damp sugar into a mould and letting it dry. Alternatively it’s a great way to use the rock hard old bag of sugar that’s lurking in the back of your cupboard….)
• 1 bottle of rum

Put the wine into a large pot. Peel and slice the oranges and lemons and add them to the wine. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, almonds and aniseed. Cut open the cardamom seeds with a knife and add them too. Leave to steep overnight in a cool place.

When ready to drink, warm the wine in a pot over a low flame until it starts to give off steam (do not boil!)

Place a wire rack over the pot and put the sugar loaf on this. Pour rum over the sugar loaf until it is soaked through and then light it (this can be quite dramatic… watch your eyebrows…). The burnt rum-sugar drips into the hot wine, giving it a fabulous flavour. Add more rum (carefully!) until the sugar loaf is used up. Drink hot.

Cathy

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