Swedish White Glögg

(1)

A blend of white and rosé wines makes for a light and bright mulled wine.

White Glögg in glass mugs and in a white cast iron dutch oven.
Photo:

Food & Wine / Photo by James Ransom / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Prep Time:
0 mins
Stand Time:
1 day
Total Time:
1 day 1 hr 25 mins
Yield:
10 drinks

Swedish White Glögg is a spiced and slightly sweet wine cocktail that is served warm. While mulled wine is typically made with red wine, this recipe from celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson leans on a base of white and rosé wines, and a spirit base of vodka. It gets flavored with a blend of aromatic ingredients including cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and orange zest. 

This recipe is an homage to Marcus Samuelsson’s Swedish heritage. He served the cocktail at a Thanksgiving party at his apartment in Harlem in 2014, which appeared in a feature in the November 2014 issue of Food & Wine

This recipe yields 10 servings, which makes Swedish White Glögg a great batched cocktail to serve at holiday parties. It can also be prepped up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, reheat the cocktail on the stove. 

Samuelsson's recipe calls for vanilla sugar, which can be made by rubbing half a vanilla bean pod with granulated sugar. In lieu of vanilla sugar, granulated sugar can be substituted.

Why Swedish White Glögg works

This recipe leans on vodka that is infused with aromatics and spices for its fortified base. The vodka draws the flavors and aromas from the spices into the spirit without any astringency.

Samuelsson’s use of white and rosé wines in lieu of fruity red wine yields a lighter and brighter mulled wine where the aromatics and spices really shine. Use unoaked white wine with citrusy notes so as not to add competing flavors — we like Pinot Grigio or unoaked Chardonnay. For the rosé, light-hued, Provencal-style wines work best. 

A garnish of blanched almonds and raisins which gently poach in the cocktail as it simmers flavors the cocktail further with a subtle nutty note and fruity sweetness. — Lucy Simon

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 4 (4-inch) cinnamon sticks

  • 2 tsp green cardamom pops (about 3 whole pods)

  • 12 whole cloves

  • 1 (2-in.) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (about 2 Tbsp.)

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) vodka

  • 4 tsp orange zest

  • 2 (750-milliliter) bottles white wine

  • 2 cups dry rosé wine

  • 2 cups granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup blanched whole almonds

  • 1/2 cup raisins

  • 2 tbsp vanilla sugar

Directions

  1. Crush cinnamon and cardamom pods using a mortar and pestle until the cinnamon is broken into medium-size pieces and the pods are cracked open; transfer to jar. Add cloves, ginger, vodka, and orange zest to jar. Cover and let steep at room temperature for 24 hours.

  2. Drain vodka through a fine mesh strainer into a large saucepan; discard solids. Add white wine, rosé, granulated sugar, almonds, raisins, and vanilla sugar; cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, sugar dissolves, and bubbles form around edges (do not boil), about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Related Articles