Gastronomy: Mulled wine with spiced rum (Denmark)

Au Danemark, dès le début de décembre on commence à se préparer pour Christmas et toutes les maisons se décorent de rouge. Que ce soit un ruban rouge aux fenêtres, des bougies, ou des photophores de cette couleur.  Dès début décembre, toutes les maisons et les appartements s’illuminent de rouge. Partout où l’on trouve des sapins ceux-ci sont ornés de lumières colorées, tout comme les balcons des maisons et des appartements.

From then on, invitations to share the Christmas buffet were exchanged between neighbors, in offices and shops. We already knew that this magnificent table would include the famous spiced red wine, for which here is the traditional recipe.

Ingredients :

For 8 guests, plan on 6 liters of red wine, 28 cardamom grains, 80 cloves, 8 cinnamon sticks, 4 pieces of ginger, 4 bay leaves as well as 180 g of icing sugar, the juice + zest of two lemons and the juice + zest of two oranges (ideally organic), 25 cl of water, 400 g of raisins, dark rum, and flaked almonds.

Preparation :

Two weeks before Christmas, marinate the grapes in a large jar by covering them with rum. Seal tightly and let them rest in the refrigerator. On December 24, in a cast iron or heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 50 cl of red wine to which you add all the spices, sugar, juices, and zest. Then let them sit (uncovered) all day.

At Christmas, pour the mixture into a pot, add the remaining red wine, and heat to 80°C. Add flaked almonds and the well-marinated raisins. Serve and enjoy warm.