Gla'Gløgg
or Sylte's Gløgg Recipe
Tusen takk til Knut Wickstrøm for the name, which means "Glad [or Happy] Gløgg"!
![[Picture of real nisser (2k GIF)]](images/nisser.gif)
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Word of the Day for December 23 is:
glogg \gloog\ (noun):
a hot spiced wine and liquor punch
Example sentence:
Lisbeth made glogg for the Christmas party using her Swedish [sic - should be Norwegian] grandmother's recipe, which called for red wine, brandy spices, almonds, and raisins.
Did you know?
Glogg is a holiday favorite in many Scandinavian cultures, where it is commonly served on St. Lucia's Day (December 13) or around Christmas time. Not
surprisingly, the word "glogg" itself is of Scandinavian origin;
it comes from Swedish and derives from the verb "glodga," meaning "to burn or mull." But although "glogg" may look like it should rhyme with that other notable holiday beverage -- "eggnog" --
the two aren't quite a perfect match. The "o" in "glogg" is usually pronounced as either the "oo" in "loot" or the "oo" in "foot," whereas "nog" is generally pronounced so that it rhymes with "grog," with the "o" pronounced as it is in "mop."
Here is the goddess of s.c.n.'s favorite gløgg recipe for you to try. Measurements are all in "American". I usually double the amounts when I make it for big crowds - but who really bothers measuring when you're making gløgg?! %-) NOTE: This recipe serves a lot of Americans - but fewer real Nordics! ;-)
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Regular Batch |
Double Batch |
Variants available below… |
Variants available below… |
Crush cardamom seeds into pot. Combine with almonds, cinnamon, cloves, figs, ginger slices, candied orange peel and raisins. Pour enough burgundy over the fruit mixture to completely cover it by about an inch. Set aside the rest of the burgundy for later. (Well...maybe pour yourself a large glass of the stuff while you're doing the rest of this... :-) Bring mixture to a hardy boil. Cool. Cover. Let it stand, unrefrigerated, for several hours - overnight or more than 24-48 hours is highly recommended.
If this is correct with double amounts, be forewarned that the rest of the recipe needs a large pot. A Very Large Pot. A Really Very Large Pot...
On the day of your party, combine fruit mixture, fruit juices, brandy, the rest of the burgundy wine, port wine, and sweet vermouth into large pot. Heat through, but do not boil again. I usually put the burner on “2” about 2 hours ahead of the party. It’s nicely warmed up by the time the guests arrive – but not boiling. Serve by pouring gløgg in glasses and add a spoonful of the cooked fruit to each serving.
Read what satisfied "customers" have to say...
- “Your gloegg recipe has been a big hit in Vermont for several years now... people keep demanding that I make it and invite them all over every Christmas... so from cold and snowy Vermont, thank you!” – Tim (a hardanger fiddle player) from Vermont, USA
- "I used the quantities indicated in the recipe, but since I was going to serve this to a bunch of Norwegians, I decided to skip the non-alcoholic fruit juices - actually I forgot to buy them :-). Anyway, this is the best gløgg I have ever made! I served it at a board meeting for my building society, and they started to 'giggle' after the second cup. Soon everyone was laughing and telling jokes, and all the boring stuff of the meeting was all forgotten. One of the guys called it a Gla'Gløgg (glad gløgg). I told everyone who I stole the recipe from, and they all send their best regards to you. Thanks a lot! " - Gunnar and a Norwegian Building Society
- "Hello! Several years I downloaded your infamous gløgg recipe and served it to our Scandinavian folk dance group here in Red Lodge. Now our older daughter is married and requested a copy of said recipe [...] So I was quite amused and intrigued to find that you are so famous that when I typed 'Sylte glogg' into my Excite search, you readily came up at the top of the search list!!! Actually, I think I wrote you before to comment on how delightfully potent it was [...] Thanks again for being such a delightful goddess and sharing your cooking expertise! " - Andrea from Montana, USA
- "Your gløgg recipe was very effective! Much better than the pre-made stuff." - Anders from Bergen, Norway
- "I tried your gløgg recipe that was forwarded to the danskmailing list [...]. My German girlfriend and I gave a Christmas party yesterday afternoon, with her supplying the German sweet goodies and me insisting on gløgg (legacy of a period working in Denmark and once having a Danish girlfriend) rather than the usual glühwein/mulled-wine stuff. It was a great success and everyone was asking for a copy of your recipe." - Victor from The Netherlands
- "We tried your recipe. It was great, but we still have the same haircuts. Did we do something wrong?" - Anonymous
Of course, you could try...
** HARRY SEAMAN VARIANT: For a non-alcholic version, just substitute apple cider for the liquor.
** GUNNAR SOMBY VARIANT: Forget the fruit juices entirely and just concentrate on the alcohol...
** MIKE JITTLOV VARIANT: Having missed every blessed opportunity to imbibe Ruth's legendary Gla'Gløgg, I have gone in my opposite, desperate lonely-bachelor direction. I call it... "Mah'Glogg":
- 1/6th part - bottled Saturnus Glögg (available at IKEA or Scandinavian Marketplace)
- 1/4th part - canned orange juice concentrate
- 7/12th part – Los Angeles tapwater (a taste all its own)
Swirl liquid in clear glass mug, place in microwave, and nuke on High for 2-3 minutes until lightly foamy and the city tapwater is disinfected. Add the traditional raisins and almonds, as ye wont. If you run out of Glögg Mix, try substituting Lingonberry Concentrate (also from IKEA or Scandinavian Marketplace). Heat... Really yummy! 8-9
** ERIN VANG’S “PROFESSOR SYLTE” VARIANT: Her own adaptation combining the “Professor’s Glogg” recipe and Ruth Sylte’s recipe.
Buy the cheapest, crappiest versions you can of:
- 10 liters burgundy wine
- 1 bottle akavit
- 2 bottles port
- 1 bottle sweet vermouth
Several days in advance, cover the following in burgundy wine and bring to a boil. Turn the heat off, cover and leave sitting around.
- 2 cups mixed raisins
- 20 whole cardamon pods, bruised or crushed (your call)
- 2 cups slivered almonds
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 12 whole cloves
- 2-4 inches of ginger, diced
- Zest of 2 oranges, juice of 1 orange (or both, if you prefer)
- 1 whole pineapple, peeled, cored and diced
To serve, find a large pot (I use a 5 gallon brewpot), put it on your stove and add:
- All of the above, now nicely macerated
- The rest of the burgundy
- 1.5 cups akavit
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 2 bottles port
- 1 bottle sweet vermouth
- Optional: Frozen orange juice concentrate, frozen pineapple juice concentrate and their requisite water additions.
Warm it up but not quite to a boil or you’ll lose all the alcohol. Just get it good and hot and then turn the burner way down. Let it simmer along and as your guests lower the level, bring it back up with judicious slugs of akavit, port, vermouth and whatever cheap red wine they brought to the party.
There are other versions such as arecipe with a picture (I know I always like to see what I'm drinking!) or a Serious Danish Version (as opposed to....?) or GløggBEER(?!). You can also go according to intellectual pursuits such as an Economist's version. Too academic an approach? Keep it in the fmily… with Grandmother's Gløgg. Finally, you also have the option to just wimp out and buy some pre-made stuff at IKEA, Restoration Hardware, Trader Joe's or better Scandinavian Gift Shops.
BARE GLØGGELIG!
Med beste ønsker for en riktig god jul og et godt nyttår...
You may return to the goddess' home page, o mortals!
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http://www.manitouheights.com
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