The first record of wine being spiced and heated can be found in Plautus' play Curculio, written during the 2nd century BC.[5][6] The Romans travelled across Europe, conquering much of it and trading with the rest. The legions brought wine and viticulture with them up to the Rhine and Danube rivers and to the Scottish border, along with their recipes.[7]
Mulled wine is very popular and traditional in the United Kingdom at Christmas, and less commonly throughout winter. Mulled cider (and sometimes mulled ale,[9] traditional yet no longer common) is also served, with a mulled apple juice as a non-alcoholic alternative.[10]
In traditional culture
The cover of Mrs. Beeton's book
Over the years the recipe for mulled wine has evolved with the tastes and fashions of the time. One Victorian example of this is smoking bishop, mentioned by Charles Dickens but no longer drunk or known in modern culture. A more traditional recipe can be found in Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management at paragraph 1961 on page 929 to 930 of the revised edition dated 1869:[11]
TO MULL WINE. INGREDIENTS.- To every pint of wine allow 1 large cupful of water, sugar, and spice to taste.
Mode.-In making preparations like the above, it is very difficult to give the exact proportions of ingredients like sugar and spice, as what quantity might suit one person would be to another quite distasteful. Boil the spice in the water until the flavour is extracted, then add the wine and sugar, and bring the whole to the boiling point, then serve with strips of crisp dry toast, or with biscuits. The spices usually used for mulled wine are cloves, grated nutmeg, and cinnamon or mace. Any kind of wine may be mulled, but port and claret are those usually selected for the purpose, and the latter requires a very large proportion of sugar. The vessel that the wine is boiled in must be delicately cleaned and should be kept exclusively for the purpose. Small tin warmers may be purchased for a trifle, which is more suitable than saucepans, as, if the latter are not scrupulously clean, they spoil the wine, by imparting to it a very disagreeable flavour. These warmers should be used for no other purpose.[12]
In contemporary culture
A British pub selling mulled wine and spiced (mulled) cider in December
In contemporary British culture, there is no specific recipe for mulled wine and the spices involved in its recipe. It is commonly a combination of orange, lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel seed (or star anise), cloves, cardamom, and ginger.[13] The spices may be combined and boiled in a sugar syrup before red wine is added, heated, and served. Variations include adding brandy or ginger wine. A tea bag of spices can be added to the wine, which is heated along with slices of orange as a convenient alternative to a full recipe. Mulled wine is often served in small (200ml) porcelain or glass mugs, sometimes with an orange slice garnish studded with cloves.
Mulled wine and ales infused with mulling spices are available in the UK in the winter months. Wassail punch is a warm mulled beer or cider drunk in winter in Victorian times.[14]
Glühwein
A cup of Glühwein
Glühwein (roughly translated as "smouldering-wine", from the temperature the wine is heated to) is popular in German-speaking countries, the Germany-bordering Alsace region of France, and to a lesser extent Russia. It is a traditional beverage offered during the Christmas holidays. In Alsace Christmas markets, it is traditionally the only alcoholic beverage served. The oldest documented Glühweintankard is attributed to Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen, a German nobleman who was the first grower of Riesling grapes. This gold-plated lockable silver tankard is dated to c. 1420.[15]
Glühwein is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, cloves, star aniseed, orange, sugar and at times vanilla pods. It is sometimes drunk mit Schuss (with a shot), which means that rum or some other liquor has been added. Fruit wines, such as blueberry wine and cherry wine, are occasionally used instead of grape wine in some parts of Germany. A variation of Glühwein is made with white wine, but it is less popular than its red counterpart. For children, the non-alcoholic Kinderpunsch is offered on Christmas markets, which is a punch with similar spices.
Another popular variant of Glühwein in Germany is Feuerzangenbowle. It shares the same recipe, but for this drink a rum-soaked sugarloaf is set on fire and allowed to drip into the wine. Polish type of Glühwein is called Grzaniec. It's similar to the German one with one exception - it is sweetened usually with honey instead of sugar.
Glögg, gløgg, glögi and similar words are the terms used for mulled wine in the Nordic countries and Estonia (sometimes spelled as glog or glug). It is spelled gløgg in Norwegian, Danish and Faroese, glögg in Swedish and Icelandic and glögi in Finnish and Estonian. In Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland gløgg or glögg is often drunk at Christmas events.
Non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions of glögg can be bought ready-made or prepared with fruit juices instead of wine. The main ingredients of alcoholic glögg are red wine, sugar, spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and bitter orange, and optionally also stronger spirits such as vodka, akvavit, rum or brandy. Throughout Scandinavia, glögg spice extract and ready-mixed spices can be purchased in grocery stores. To prepare glögg, spices or spice extract are mixed into the wine, which is then heated to 60-70°C. When preparing homemade glögg using spices, the hot mixture is allowed to infuse for at least an hour, often longer, and then reheated before serving. Ready-made wine glögg, as well as low- or non-alcoholic varieties,[16] is normally sold at Systembolaget in Sweden, and in Alko in Finland, ready to heat and serve, and not in concentrate or extract form. Glögg is generally served with raisins, dried cloves, blanchedalmonds and ginger biscuits (gingerbread cookies), and is a popular hot drink during the Christmas season.
In Sweden, ginger bread and lussebullar (also called lussekatter), a type of sweet bun with saffron and raisins, are typically served on December 13 to celebrate Saint Lucia's Day . It is also traditionally served at the julbord, the Christmas version of the classic, Swedish buffet smörgåsbord. In Denmark, gløgg pairings typically include æbleskiver sprinkled with powdered sugar and accompanied with strawberrymarmalade. In Norway, gløgg is paired with risengrynsgrøt (rice pudding). In such cases, the word graut-/grøtfest is more precise, taking the name from the rice pudding which is served as a course. Typically, gløgg is drunk before eating the rice pudding, which is often served with cold, red cordial (saus).
Glögg recipes vary widely; variations with white wine or sweet wine such as Port or Madeira, or spirits such as brandy, schnapps or whisky are also popular, either added directly or by soaking the raisins and spice in them before preparing the drink (often resulting in a notable increase in the alcohol contents). Glögg can also be made without alcohol by replacing the wine with fruit or berry juices (often blackcurrant) or by boiling the glögg to evaporate the alcohol. Glögg is similar in taste to modern Wassail or mulled cider.[citation needed]
Other countries
Mulled wine steeping with spices and fruit
In Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, kuhano vino or kuvano vino (кувано вино; lit. "cooked wine"), is made from red or white wine and various combinations of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, aniseed sugar/honey or orange zest, often served with slices of orange or lemon. In North Macedonia, it is called vareno vino (Macedonian: варено вино, "boiled wine") or greeno vino (Macedonian: греено вино, "heated wine") and is usually served in late autumn or winter. It is made of red wine, usually from the Tikveš region, combined with cinnamon and sugar or honey. The wine, heated in combination with pepper, is used as a folk remedy for cold and flu.
In the south and southeast of Brazil, it is called vinho quente or quentão, from the same Portuguese drink.[17][18] It is typically made with red wine, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Cachaça may be added to increase the alcohol content. It is served as part of the Festa Junina, celebrated during winter in the month of June.
In Bulgaria, it is called greyano vino (Bulgarian: греяно вино; "heated wine"), and consists of red wine, honey and peppercorn. Sometimes apples or citrus fruits, such as lemon or oranges, can be added.
In Chile, it is called candola in the south and vino navega'o in the north (navegado; lit. "sailor"; "navigated" is considered a hypercorrection). Navega'o is a hot drink made from red wine, orange peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and sugar. Although being considered a southern Chile beverage, it is served throughout the country. Many people regard it as a winter drink. Saint John's Eve (Spanish tradition which replaced Wetripantru, the Mapuche New Year's Day that coincides with the Winter Solstice in the southern hemisphere—Midsummer in the northern hemisphere) on the evening of 23 June would be, for example, a good time to drink navega'o.
In the Czech Republic, mulled wine is called svařené víno ("boiled wine"), colloquially svařák. In Slovakia, mulled wine is called varené víno ("boiled wine"), and is usually served during the Christmas season.
In France, vin chaud ('hot wine') typically consists of red wine mixed with honey, cinnamon, and orange. It must not be too sweet. Beverage noted in the Alps for winter sports. In Geneva, Switzerland, vin chaud is consumed during the festivities surrounding L'Escalade.
In Hungary, forralt bor ("boiled wine") is typically made from the country's popular Egri Bikavér and spiced with cinnamon, sugar and cloves. Sometimes Amaretto is added for extra taste.
In Italy, mulled wine is typical in the northern part of the country and is called vin brülé (from the French vin brûlé, "burnt wine", though the expression is not used in France).
In Latvia, it is called karstvīns ("hot wine"). When out of wine, it is prepared using grape (or currant) juice and Riga Black Balsam. In Lithuania, it is called glintveinas or karštas vynas ("hot wine").
In Romania, vin fiert is typically made with cinnamon, sugar and oranges. Red wine is the most common type but white wine is also used. In Moldovavin fiert is made from red wine with black pepper and honey.
In Poland, grzane wino ("heated wine"), or grzaniec in highlander dialect, is very similar to the Czech variant, especially in the southern regions. There is also a similar method for preparing mulled beer, or grzane piwo, which is popular with Belgian beers because of the sweet flavor of that particular type of beer, which uses the same spices as mulled wine and is heated. Vodka-spiked mulled wine can be found in Polish Christmas markets, where mulled wine is used as a mixer.
In Russia and Ukraine, glintveyn (глинтвейн) is a popular drink during winters[citation needed][23] and has same recipe as the German Glühwein. Additionally, the traditional Russian winter herbal drink sbiten, although usually a non-alcoholic tisane made with hot water, may also be made with red wine replacing some or all of the water.[24]
In popular culture
In the 1946 Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life, after the 293 year old guardian angelClarence Odbody (traveling with George Bailey to an alternate world if George had not been born) goes to a rough bar. And, not knowing what to order since he had not been to a bar in centuries, decides to order, "I was just thinking of a flaming rum punch. No, it’s not cold enough for that. Not nearly cold enough…Wait a minute…wait a minute…Mulled wine, heavy on the cinnamon and light on the cloves. Off with you, me lad, and be lively![25][26]
See also
Aromatised wine– Fortified wine flavoured with herbs, spices, fruit or other natural flavouring
Sangria is an alcoholic beverage originating in Spain and Portugal. A punch, sangria traditionally consists of red wine and chopped fruit, often with other ingredients or spirits.
The term punch refers to a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruits or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from the Indian subcontinent to England by employees of the East India Company in the late 17th century. Punch is usually served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls.
Glögg, gløgg or glögi is a spiced, sometimes alcoholic, mulled wine, or spirit. Associated especially with Sweden, it is a traditional Nordic drink during winter, especially around Christmas.
Eggnog, historically also known as a milk punch or an egg milk punch when alcoholic beverages are added, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, dairy-based beverage. It is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and whipped egg whites. A distilled spirit such as brandy, rum, whiskey or bourbon is often a key ingredient.
Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and commonly other ingredients such as sweeteners, spices, flavourings and sometimes eggs.
A hot toddy, also known as hot whisky in Ireland, and occasionally called southern cough syrup within the Southern United States, is typically a mixed drink made of liquor and water with honey, lemon, herbs and spices, and served hot. Recipes vary, and hot toddy is traditionally drunk as a nightcap before retiring for the night, in wet or cold weather, or to relieve the symptoms of the cold and flu. In How to Drink, Victoria Moore describes the drink as "the vitamin C for health, the honey to soothe, the alcohol to numb."
Feuerzangenbowle is a traditional German alcoholic drink for which a rum-soaked sugarloaf is set on fire and drips into mulled wine. It is often part of a Christmas or New Year's Eve tradition. The name translates literally as fire-tongs punch, "Bowle" meaning "punch" being borrowed from English.
Negus is a drink made of wine, often port, mixed with hot water, oranges or lemons, spices and sugar.
Hippocras sometimes spelled hipocras or hypocras, is a drink made from wine mixed with sugar and spices, usually including cinnamon, and possibly heated. After steeping the spices in the sweetened wine for a day, the spices are strained out through a conical cloth filter bag called a manicum hippocraticum or Hippocratic sleeve, from which the name of the drink is derived.
A flip is a class of mixed drinks. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was first used in 1695 to describe a mixture of beer, rum, and sugar, heated with a red-hot iron. The iron caused the drink to froth, and this frothing engendered the name. Over time, eggs were added and the proportion of sugar increased, the beer was eliminated, and the drink ceased to be served hot.
There are many cocktails made with cachaça, the national spirit of Brazil. The caipirinha is by far the most popular and internationally well-known, but bartenders have developed other mixed drinks using the spirit.
Mizrahi Jewish cuisine is an assortment of cooking traditions that developed among the Mizrahi Jewish communities of the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. Influenced by the diverse local culinary practices of countries such as Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Syria, Mizrahi cuisine prominently features rice, legumes, meats, and an array of spices such as cumin, turmeric, and coriander. Signature dishes include kubbeh (dumplings), pilafs, grilled meats, and stews like hamin.
Ginger tea is a herbal beverage that is made from ginger root. It has a long history as a traditional herbal medicine in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Asia.
Smoking Bishop is a type of mulled wine, punch, or wassail, especially popular in Victorian England at Christmas time, and it is mentioned in Dickens' 1843 story A Christmas Carol.
Mulling spices are a spice mixture used in drink recipes. The spices are usually added to hot apple cider, mulled wine, glögg, wassail, hippocras, and other drinks during autumn or winter. A "mulled" drink is a beverage that has been prepared with these spices. Mulling spices may also be added to the brewing process to make spiced beer.
Aromatised wine is a wine flavoured with aromatic herbs and spices. These are classified by their alcohol content and the flavourings and other ingredients used. The European Union defines three categories which are: 'aromatised wine', 'aromatised wine-based drink' and 'aromatised wine-product cocktail'. Drinks which have an alcohol content of 1.2% abv or less, cannot be labelled as containing wine.
Blossa is a trademark for glögg owned by Anora Group which is the most sold glögg in Sweden. There are 11 kinds of glögg in the selection, and also an annual seasonal glögg since 2003. In the early 1950s Vin & Spirit produced 750 thousand litres of glögg per year and in 2009 the company sold 4.1 million litres per year.
↑ Titus Maccius Plautus (1829). M. Accii Plauti Comœdiæ. Cubrante et imprimente A. J. Valpy. "Quos semper videas bibentes esse in Thermopolio: Ubi quid surripuere, operto capitulo calidum bibunt, Tristes atque ebrioli incedunt." ' Translation: "Those always seem to be drinking in the cafe where you have stolen hiding in hot drink, always gloomy and tipsy." - Plautus, CURCULIONIS ACT. II. The reference to Plautus is given in "History of Rome, and of the Roman people: from its origin to the invasion of the barbarians", Victor Duruy, Estes and Lauriat, 1894, Page 400.
↑ J. Robinson (ed.)The Oxford Companion to WineThird Edition. Oxford University Press, 2006. 589–590
↑ Cloake, Felicity (9 December 2010). "How to make perfect mulled wine". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
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