Glühwein

The story

Spiced, heated wine is an ancient drink (the Romans were warming spiced wine two thousand years ago), but Glühwein as we know it today is closely bound to the German Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte), which date back at least to the 14th century. Every town defends its own recipe and its own mug. In some places Glühwein comes in a ceramic mug bearing a scene of the town and the year, which visitors may keep for the price of the deposit (Pfand), a souvenir many immigrants still store in a cupboard as a memento of a childhood market. The base is red wine heated with cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves and orange peel, but family recipes differ: a splash of rum, honey instead of sugar, white wine instead of red. For many German families in America, making Glühwein at home is one of the easiest ways to summon the scent of a hometown on a December evening.