A Swedish Jul (Christmas) with Hannah Lindgren
“Not only have I kept the traditions alive, but I feel like I really am Swedish.”
By Brenda Myers and Jim Lindgren. Glögg is a favorite Swedish beverage during the Christmas holiday. Be sure to eat the nuts and fruit at the bottom of the cup when you’re done drinking.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: approximately 20 cups
- 2 orange peels
- ⅓ teaspoon cloves
- 10 cardamom pods, broken up
- 4 cinnamon sticks, broken up
- 1 gallon good port wine
- 1½ cups raisins
- ½ cup whole blanched almonds
- 1 pint 190-proof grain alcohol
- 2 cups sugar, or to taste
Preparation
Using a small saucepan and enough water to cover the ingredients, boil the orange peel, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon in a cloth bag for 40 minutes. Strain into a large pan. Squeeze out bag thoroughly.
Pour wine into the large pan, add raisins and almonds and bring to a boil. Add alcohol and sugar and let this come to a boil. Turn off the heat and let stand until cool.
When cool, strain out the raisins and almonds, placing them in a jar and then into the refrigerator. When ready to serve, put a few raisins and an almond or 2 in the bottom of each cup. Heat the glögg but do not let it come to a boil. Pour into cups and serve.
About this recipe
Brenda Myers and Jim Lindgren are Hannah Lindgren’s parents. They submitted this recipe to the Swedish cookbook that Hannah helped compile and produce for the local SVEA Lodge No. 253 of the Vasa Order of America
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