Swedish Glögg with Aquavit-Soaked Raisins and Almonds

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The Nordic Christmas-market classic, built the way the good stalls do it: first a dark, intensely aromatic spice concentrate simmered from cracked cardamom, cassia, cloves and bitter orange peel, then red wine and port warmed gently to just below a simmer so the alcohol and perfume stay in the pot. Each mug gets a spoonful of aquavit-plumped raisins and blanched almonds in the bottom, so you drink your way down to a boozy, spoonable prize.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dark raisins
• 1/2 cup aquavit, or vodka
• 1/2 cup blanched slivered or whole blanched almonds

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 15 green cardamom pods green cardamom pods, cracked open with the side of a knife
• 3 sticks cinnamon sticks (cassia), broken in half
• 10 whole whole cloves
• 1 whole star anise pod
• 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced into thin coins (no need to peel)
• 2 tablespoons dried bitter orange peel, or the zest of 1 orange in wide strips
• 1/2 whole vanilla bean, split, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 2 bottles dry, fruity red wine (750 ml each), such as Zinfandel, Merlot or Grenache
• 1 cup ruby port
• 1/3 cup aquavit or vodka, plus the raisin soaking liquid
• to taste fresh lemon juice

• 8 sticks cinnamon sticks, for stirring (optional)
• as needed orange twists (optional)

Instructions

1. At least 2 hours ahead (or up to 1 week), combine the raisins and 1/2 cup aquavit in a jar, seal, and let sit at room temperature, shaking occasionally, until the raisins are plump and the liquid is amber. Toast the blanched almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking often, just until warm and barely golden; cool and set aside.
2. Make the spice concentrate: in a small saucepan, combine the water, brown sugar, honey, cracked cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, ginger coins, bitter orange peel, vanilla bean and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. Reduce to the lowest simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the syrup is glossy and smells sharply of cardamom and orange. Remove from the heat, cover, and let the spices steep another 20 minutes off the heat — this is where the depth comes from. Do not strain yet.
4. Pour the red wine and port into a large non-reactive pot (5-quart or larger). Add the entire spice concentrate, spices and all. Set over medium-low heat and bring to 150 to 165°F (65 to 74°C), which takes about 15 to 20 minutes — the surface should steam and shiver but never bubble. If you don't have a thermometer, pull it back the moment you see the first tiny bubbles at the edge.
5. Hold at that temperature for 20 minutes to let the wine take on the spice. Never let it boil: above about 175°F the alcohol and the top aromatics start walking out of the pot.
6. Strain out the whole spices with a slotted spoon or fine-mesh strainer (a few stray cloves are traditional, but the cardamom husks are not pleasant). Return the glögg to the warm pot off the heat.
7. Stir in 1/3 cup aquavit plus all the soaking liquid from the raisins, keeping the raisins themselves aside. Taste: add 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice if it tastes flat or heavy, or another tablespoon of honey if your wine was very dry.
8. Put 1 tablespoon of the aquavit raisins and 1 tablespoon of the toasted almonds into the bottom of each heatproof mug or glass. Ladle in the hot glögg, add a cinnamon stick and an orange twist, and serve with small spoons so guests can eat the fruit and nuts at the end.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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