Genießbare Getränke, Part Three: Glühwein

Did you know that Christmas is available as a warm beverage?

To be precise: as booze?

I speak of Glühwein, a traditional German drink of the Christmas season. Similar to mulled wine,¹ Glühwein is the traditional drink of the German Weinachtsmärkte, the little markets that spring up in major cities about this time of year. Weinachtsmärkte are an institution unto themselves and deserve their own post. More on that goodness later.

Glühwein is essentially sweetened red wine seasoned with cinnamon and cloves and served hot. I do not engage in hyperbole when I say that this stuff is Christmas Cheer made manifest. I think if you vaporized Santa Claus, then collected his essence as condensation and warmed him in a pot, he would taste just like Glühwein.²

Similar to my often-inappropriate sense of humor, no one Glühwein recipe is for everyone. Some Germans liven theirs with fruit, particularly lemon or orange; anise; and for a really good time, liquor. Casually strolling through Cologne's markets, I have seen a number of patrons give their glass that extra kick, brought from home just for the occasion.

Copious drinking is fairly standard operating procedure as far as German celebrations go, but it's a more complicated affair when turning Glühwein into a cocktail. As someone who enjoys a little Sambuca in his coffee, I can tell you from experience that it is unwise to heat hard alcohol and inhale the fumes. Thus I took pause this afternoon when I witnessed a group of Weinachtsmarkt patrons each add liberal amounts of schnapps to their Glühwein. One young woman paused before drinking. She gazed at the steam rising out of her cup, probably getting a little lost in the joy of the season, and leaning over-- in Hollywood slow motion -- breathed deeply.

On the plus side, the stains all over her sweater will remind her of the Christmas season all throughout the year.

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¹Though there's really no comparison between the two. Even mulled wine's name is inferior. As opposed to a wine that "glows," what good is a drink that has merely been pondered?

²What?