Friday, November 30, 2012

Happy Hour with AE: Glühwein - a cup of cheer!

This week we bring you a little cup of cheer!  

Glühwein (pronounced glue-vine) is a traditional German mulled wine.  This little cup of cheer is a yummy, crowd-pleasing, warm beverage that is PERFECT this time of year.  

It's easy to make and leaves your house smelling of cinnamon and spice for hours.  Our dear friend, Steven G., shared this special recipe with us (he is the master at it)!  

In honor of Village Lights in our German Village neighborhood this weekend, we will be making it all by ourselves on Sunday.   Come on by and try it!


photo courtesy of Winemonger


From Darling Steven:


Here is my recipe! It's definitely not a strict recipe, it can be changed to the drinker's preference. The key is to balance the sugar and the wine. If you are using a dry red wine, then for every bottle,  I use 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water. If you use a sweeter red wine, then I use 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water.

What you'll need:

3 bottles of red wine (I use merlot)

2 1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 cup water

12-15 whole cloves

4 or 5 cinnamon sticks

One lemon (peeled and juiced)

One orange (peeled and juiced)

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cloves, cinnamon sticks, lemon and orange peels, and juices (I strain the juices into the mix in order to avoid seeds and pulp). Bring that to a boil so all the sugar dissolves and then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for fifteen minutes.

In a large pot, pour in the red wine. Strain the flavored sugar mixture into the pot of red wine. Make sure to not let any of the solids fall into the pot. Stir the wine and sugar mixture together and heat until scalding. Don't let it boil! If you do, then all the alcohol (and fun) will evaporate! Serve the glühwein in warmed mugs and garnish with a cinnamon stick!

Glühwein- a cup of cheer!

ENJOY!!  xo, AE

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