Honey Glögg

Here is something I resisted for years - Glögg. It just seemed unappetizing to drink hot wine, but then I decided to make it and fell in love with it. I had read many recipes for years and saw many wonderful things to put in, I opted to try and make it simple yet utilize some of my Scandanavian heritage as well. I place all of the ingredients into a carafe from my KitchenAid Pro-Line Coffee maker that has a satellite warmer, this works fantastic and slowly mulls it as opposed to dealing with the stove. You could also put this in your Cuisinart Slow cooker and set it on low. Either way, you want to let it mull for at least 30 minutes. I also would add a third suggestion in that if you do not have one of these fantastic countertop appliances and prefer to heat it up on the stove - keep it warm in the Alfi Carafe, I have found it keeps my beverages hot for up to 12 hours.

Recipe:

Peeled zest & juice of one orange

10 allspice berries

10 whole cloves

1 large cinnamon stick, broken

4 cardamom pods

1 cup honey

2/3 cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau

1 bottle of Merlot or other fruity wine

In a tea ball or cheesecloth, place the zest, allspice, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Combine tea ball, honey, liqueur, orange juice and wine in vessel of your choosing. Steep for at least 30 minutes and serve hot accompanied by a large orange zest, star anise or cinnamon stick garnish if desired.