Carols and Glögg - Tradition Reigns

All the fun, wherever you are!

Sing along with your favorite carols with this recording of Ebenezer members and friends.

Make Your Own Glögg

Farfar's ("father's father" in Swedish) Glögg Recipe

"We make glögg every year with my grandfather's recipe. I started helping when I was a teenager. These recipes are family traditions, and we all think our recipe is the best." - Ebenezer Member, Paul Johnson

You can find Farfar's Glögg Recipe and a special message about it from Paul below.

Hello everyone! Pastor Emily has asked me if I would share my (actually my grandfather’s) recipe for Glögg. That’s something I haven’t done before but as our own family shrinks, I am sharing it with our Ebenezer family now.

My grandfather’s given name was Johan Hagar Johansson but became John Johnson at Ellis Island. He was from the western part of Sweden, worked as a blacksmith for Western Electric and loved to work with wood as a hobby. I was a teenager when he came to our house to show my mother how to make glögg. I was the oldest and more interested in what he was doing so I was the only sibling to make glögg with him. I haven’t changed his recipe at all, even stubbornly looking for the same brand of wine that he used when he made it.

Glögg recipes are specific to each family and spark some interesting discussion at Christmas about whose is best. I hope you enjoy the finished result from our family recipe. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them.

God Jul!

Farfar’s Glögg

• 1 bottle brandy

• 2 bottles (750 ml) port wine

• 2 bottles (750 ml) tawny port wine

• 1 lb blanched almonds

• 1 lb raisins

• 25 whole cloves

• 20 cardamom seeds (purchased whole then shelled)

• 1 lb lump sugar (sugar cubes)

• 4 cinnamon sticks

• Peel of one large orange

• Cheesecloth

• Optional grain alcohol to taste or preference

Pour wine into large kettle- heat just to boil

Place cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon sticks and orange peel into cheesecloth and tie to make a bag. Suspend bag in wine and slowly boil for 15 min.

Add raisins and almonds and cook 15 minutes longer. Turn off wine, remove the spice bag.

Then gently heat brandy in a separate pot or kettle with a cover.

Add sugar and stir just until sugar dissolves.

Ignite mixture (use electric match) and let burn for approx 30 sec. Sugar should caramelize. Put out fire by covering with lid.

Add mixture to wine. Ladle some wine into brandy kettle and swirl to dissolve remaining sugar and pour back into wine pot. If desired, add grain alcohol to desired taste or strength.

Separate glögg from raisins and almonds when bottling, then add back when warming the glögg before serving.

Glögg is usually served in small slightly bigger than shot glasses. And yes, it is sacrilege to microwave your glögg - put it in a pot and heat it on the stove!

Non-Alcoholic Gløgg Recipe

A non-alcoholic Glögg recipe can be found here.