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December 14, 2003
mulling
I'm not normally a Christmassy elf, but something this year has changed; I think trips to Germany and Denmark showed a more civilised kind of festivity. My celebrations seem to centre on mince pies and hot alcohol.
The purist in me hates heating alcohol - every molecule is sacred - and I have an aversion to traditional English spices like cloves, but with a cold wind blowing, nothing hits the spot like a drop of hot wine. And port. And rum.
Here in Britain we tend towards a bad sangria boiled with a twig that may be cinammon thrown in. I prefer a slightly Victorian take on mulling - mulled porter ale, which I enjoyed at Borough Market last weekend.
The German Glühwein is similar to our mulled wine, though often lemon juice is added, but my favourite is the Scandinavian Glögg - adding port, and maybe vodka, brandy or aquavit into the mix. I was often served this fortified with a tot or two of rum, which means this is turning into an Arctic Circle Iced Tea... I still have to try the Austro-German white wine and rum version, Krambambuli.
Two big rules for mulling: never boil the liquid, and keep the alcohol percentage up.
Skol! Prost! Na zdraví! Kippis! Santé! Slainte! Salute! Cheers! (hey, it's too cold and dark to be writing about mobile phones)
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