12 Days of Cocktails – Day 1 German Gluhwein

It’s officially 12 days until Christmas, you better get those halls decked, packages sent, cards stamped and cookies baked. There is no more time to procrastinate. In honor of these last 12 festive days, Red Velvet is going to feature a new cocktail recipe each day.

I hope that these recipes will help to make family time a little more bearable, and keep those cheeks warm and rosy this holiday season. The first cocktail I’m going to highlight is one that Eric and I discovered in Germany a few Christmases ago.

We were enjoying a bustling Christmas market in the town of Speyer which smelled of bratwurst and baked goods.

We noticed that lots of people were holding ceramic mugs filled with something hot. I could see that it was not hot chocolate and immediately wanted to find out what it was. We quickly learned that it was a hot spiced wine called Gluhwein, see the sign below.

We did not get any at the Christmas Market but were able to order some at a restaurant later in the trip. It was served nice and warm and with sugar packets. Eric and I both loved it and upon returning, I set out to find my very own gluhwein recipe.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use any cheap red wine. The spices you add will contribute more flavor to make the wine taste great. I also love the idea of an alternative to hot cider. Simply combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat on low until just simmering and allow to steep for about an hour before drinking.

Here’s the recipe: