Shona’s Glühwein

I am one of those people who, when they notice Christmas items creeping onto grocery shop shelves in October, rolls her eyes and grumbles about how starting holiday celebrations too early ruins the experience. I make a personal pact not to purchase anything “Christmassy” for another month, and bemoan the relentless commercial push from festival to festival. But not this year, friends!

2020 has changed me (as I am sure it has most people), giving me a fresh perspective. Celebrating and holding space for small joys is now one of my primary goals. Celebrate everything you can, I say. Got the organising of your recycling correct? Celebrate with a cuppa and a biscuit. You had a 2-minute conversation with your neighbour in German, and she wasn’t completely perplexed? Book yourself in for a celebratory bubble bath. This new perspective sees me opening the door to holiday celebrations early and dialling the things that bring me happiness up to a 10. That means twinkling fairy lights and the spicy scent of Glühwein will be a daily feature in my home until the end of winter.

It’s around this time every year that I usually make my first pot of Glühwein. While normally, early November brings the celebration of Räbeliechtli in the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland, which is easily my favourite marker of the passing seasons. I look forward to the proud children parading their carved turnips lanterns which emit a warm pink glow. But also the chance to catch up with my fellow parents and chat about our plans for the coming season over a mandatory mug of spiced Glühwein. The Räbelichtli tradition, which rounds out Autumn and welcomes a more introspective winter, helps me feel tied to and involved in our small Swiss village. But this year, with the Coronavirus putting a halt to local gatherings and parades, the school Christmas singing and local Christmas markets big and small, I will still keep a pot of Glühwein on the stove, cue up the Christmas playlist, and inject a bit of home-based happiness into 2020.

If you’re also feeling the need to get your festive spirit off to a good start, here is the recipe that is on a regular rotation in our house. It’s been patchworked together from various friend’s recipes over the years and remains the one most liked when I bring a flask of it to share. It’s also extremely adaptable. If your crowd doesn’t drink alcohol, it’s no problem to substitute the wine and sugar syrup for grape juice, or the liqueurs with similarly flavoured syrups. Cloves can be tricky with people, so I often go easy on those. Add or subtract things to suit your taste.

Shona’s Glühwein

(makes 1,5L)

Ingredients

• 2 oranges
• 1 1/2 cups (350ml) of water
• 1/2 cup (125g) of brown sugar. Turbinado or raw sugar will also work. Or white sugar and a tablespoon of molasses.
• 20 whole cloves
• 4 star anise
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla bean pod scored down the middle (optional)
• 2 x 750ml bottles of merlot or cabernet sauvignon (or a mixture)
• 2 shot glasses of Hazelnut or almond liqueur (optional, but delicious)

Method

– Remove the zest of the oranges with a peeler. Try to limit the amount of pith you scrape off as it is bitter rather than aromatic) Keep aside.

– Juice the oranges and discard the outsides and pips. Keep juice aside.

– In a saucepan large enough to hold all the ingredients (aim for something that can hold 2L), boil the water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.

– Add the orange zest and juice, cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla pod (if using)

– Turn the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. The sugary syrup should thicken slightly.

– Add the wine, turn the heat down to simmer and cook for another 30 mins.

– Strain your wine through a sieve, return it to the heat and add the shots of hazelnut or almond liqueur.

Note: For a non-alcoholic version substitute the sugar syrup and wine with grape juice