Traditional Swedish Glögg

This is a classical Swedish recipe for the cold winter months. Glögg it's a variety of what some will call mulled wine. But this beverage is based on svagdricka which is a malt based sweet beer.

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients

For this recipe you will need:

A clean food safe bucket and a clean cloth to cover it with.

5 Liters of Swedish Svagdricka which is a malt based beverage. You can substitute it with apple cider or organic apple juice but the result will differ

50 grams of fresh yeast

500 grams of raisins

2 kilos of sugar

20 grams of hole cloves

20 grams of cardamom pods

5 raw potatoes

5 cinnamon sticks

20 grams of bitter orange peal aka seville orange (Capsicum annuum)

2 inches of ginger root

Step 2: Prepare

This recipe is really simple, all you have to do is peal the potatoes and slice them. Slice the ginger, crush the spices roughly and then mix everything in a clean bucket.

Cover the bucket with a cloth and let it ferment for two weeks.

When it has fermented just gently pour it to a clean container so you don't get the yeast sludge that has set on the bottom. If you need you can filter it through a cheese cloth.

Serve it hot with thinly sliced almonds and raisins or as a cold drink with some ice.

The Glögg is best after storing in bottles for a few weeks. This will make any leftover yeast set at the bottom of the bottles as well as mature the flavours. It will basically last for ever unless you drink it and it grows better with age. Try the basic recipe or add spices to your taste and experiment. Things that work well is star anise, tonka bean, tamarind pulp and coriander seeds.