Mulled red wine (or Swedish glögg) is a soul-warming treat during the colder months of the year. But have you ever tried mulled white wine? It is a delicious variation of its red wine cousin.
My recipe for White Swedish Glögg is a cozy concoction of white wine, warm spices and elderflower liqueur. This comforting elixir is just the thing to get a chilly evening off to a festive start.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cinnamon, cloves and cardamom steep in dry white wine until it is spiced and fragrant.
- Elderflower liqueur finishes off this cozy glögg with its signature honey sweet-citrus flavor.
Ingredients
- Any dry white wine works well here.
- Cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon bring spicy warmth to this cozy drink.
- Just a bit of sugar or honey (1 tablespoon) brings a welcome sweetness.
- Elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain) provides it's signature honey/citrus/floral notes which is a wonderful compliment to the white wine and spices.
How to Make This Recipe
- Heat the white wine with the water, cloves, crushed cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks and sugar or honey over medium low heat. Once the mixture begins to steam and bubble around the edges, remove from the heat and cover. Steep at room temperature for 2-8 hours (alternatively, let it sit at room temperature for at least a couple of hours and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days).
- When you are ready to serve, strain the mixture and return to a clean sauce pan. Add the elderflower liqueur. Heat until it begins to steam and bubble around the edges. Serve garnished with cinnamon sticks.
Expert Tips
- Perhaps the most important tip of all....don't let the glögg come to a boil! Boiling or even simmering the glögg will cause the alcohol to evaporate. We don't want that! Bring the glögg up to the point of simmering and then turn off the heat.
- Let the wine and the spices steep for several hours. The flavor of your glögg will improve if you give the wine a chance to really take on the flavor of the warm spices.
- Add the elderflower liqueur just prior to reheating and serving. Again, do not let the glögg come to a boil. We want to preserve the potency of our mulled wine.
- If you want to stick with Swedish tradition, serve with golden raisins and blanched slivered almonds. These "garnishes" will inevitably sink to the bottom of each cup of glögg. Invite your guests to use a spoon to eat up the delicious almonds and raisins at the bottom of the glass once they have finished their beverage.
- If you want to hold the glögg at a warm temperature without risking it coming to a boil, pour it into a crockpot set to the warm setting once you've heated it on the stove.
FAQs
Glögg is pronounced "glue-g".
Elderflower liqueur is a sweetened spirit made from white elderflowers harvested from elder trees in the spring. It has a honey-sweet, floral, citrus flavor that is intoxicatingly delicious. The most common elderflower liquor brand is St. Germain, made in France. Elderflowers grow throughout northern Europe, including Scandinavia, where they are often used to infuse cordials and syrups.
Yes. It's best to make the recipe to point that you strain the mixture but have not yet added any additional alcohol. Store the spiced wine covered in the fridge for up to a week. When you are ready to serve, simply add the elderflower liqueur and reheat (but do NOT boil).
Store leftover glögg tightly covered in the refrigerator. It will keep for about a week. Gently reheat to serve.
Related Recipes
Looking for something to serve alongside your glögg? Give one of these tasty dishes a try! They are all delicious with mulled wine.
White Swedish Glögg with Elderflower Liqueur (White Mulled Wine)
Ingredients
- 1 bottle dry white wine
- 1 cup water
- 10 cardamom pods crushed
- 10 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks plus extra for serving if desired
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
- 1 cup elderflower liqueur
Instructions
- Combine the wine, water, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and sugar together in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
- Strain the mixture into a clean saucepan with the elderflower liqueur. Heat until just simmering.
- Serve warm in heatproof glasses or mugs with a cinnamon stick for garnish.
Notes
- If you want to stick with Swedish tradition, serve with golden raisins and blanched slivered almonds. These "garnishes" will inevitably sink to the bottom of each cup of glögg. Invite your guests to use a spoon to eat up the delicious almonds and raisins at the bottom of the glass once they have finished their beverage.
- If you want to hold the glögg at a warm temperature without risking it coming to a boil, pour it into a crockpot set to the warm setting once you've heated it on the stove.
- To make ahead: Let the wine and spices sit at room temperature for at least a couple of hours. Store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days before proceeding with the recipe.
Nutrition
If you loved this recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture of your White Swedish Glögg kand share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #truenorthkitchen and tagging me @true_north_kitchen.
Maureen
I love your recipes! Cardamom is an all time favorite. I will be using your almond cake recipe in the same pan you used in your photo! I purchased the pan years ago at the Norwegian shop in Red Wing, MN to welcome my Norwegian son in law to the family.
I wish to offer a correction in your description of the origins of the Bunt Pan….Jewish women would not want a Easter cake! They would definitely want a PASSOVER Cake. Both the high holiday of Passover and the Christians’s Easter are usually at the same time because their dates ate predicated by the spring equinox and the full moon.
Honoring diversity is important. We are all different flowers in a bouquet!
I have Jewish, Filipino and Norwegian relatives thru marriages of sister & daughters, I have 97% Irish Catholic Democratic DNA and have Filipino/Irish /German grandsons that can trace their family line back to before the American Revolution their two gt grandfathers fought in!
Kristi
Hi Maureen,
Thanks for your comment! I think you may have misread my information about the bundt pan. I mentioned Eastern European cakes, not Easter cakes. I hope you continue to enjoy the recipes! That almond cake is such a good one. Take care!
Kristi