Recipe: Swedish Glogg

Swedish Style Hot Spiced Wine

This is for Swedish glogg, which is for drinking after coming in
on cold nights. It hits the blood pretty quickly.

0 1.75 liter cheap vodka (the higher the proof, the better)
1.75 liter heavy, good quality, red wine (Burgundy, etc.)
1 orange peel (use a potato peeler)
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 cup raisins
10 cardamom seeds, broken up
10 cloves
3 sticks cinnamon
6 figs

Combine the ingredients in a large pot with a lid. Heat the mixture until it will ignite with a match. Holding 120 sugar cubes over
the flaming pot in an all-steel strainer (anything less can melt in the alcohol/sugar fire) pour, with a ladle or small pot, the mixture
over the sugar cubes repeatedly until they are all dissolved. This step is important, as it slightly caramelizes the sugar and thus
changes the flavor, and because it is fun. Lid the pot to extinguish the flame.

The glogg should be stored a couple of months with all flavorings to enrich the flavor. It will form a volume greater than that
of the original vodka and wine bottles, so you will need an extra bottle. Split the flavorings equally among the bottles. The figs
might need to be cut up to fit into the spouts.

To serve, heat the wine, being careful not to let much alcohol boil off (watch carefully for small surface bubbles to form, which
occurs below water's normal boiling point). Serve in small amounts with some almond slivers and raisins in the cup. Good
generousness complement glogg well. Glogg must be drunk hot or the sugar will make it very syrupy.