Is it time to light up the Christmas Wine yet?
Before this house, I used to have a Christmas Party every year to celebrate friends and decorate an outrageously large tree and consume massive quantities of holiday goodies. I really miss having that and I'm looking forward to when we can start those up again.
While we were decorating the tree last weekend, I reminisced about those past holidays. Each ornament has some special meaning to me connected to its giver. We had "Santa Kurt" for the kids and lots of music.
Oh! And the Feuerzangenbowle!
When I was growing up, we had German neighbors who REALLY knew how to celebrate Christmas. Real candles on the tree. Fabulously designed toys that you couldn't get in the States. And, the traditional Christmas Wine. Or, as I referred to it, the "Christmas Wine on Fire".
I wasn't allowed to partake of this wine until I was of age, but BOY! Did the adults seem to enjoy it. When I was old enough to get the recipe, I discovered why.
Not only is making the "Christmas Wine on Fire" fun and pretty to look at, it is tasty and...ahem...extremely potent. I won't be able to partake this year, either, but YOU could. If you dare.
Here is the recipe. If you make it, let me know how it goes.
Feuerzangenbowle Recipe
Bowle/Punch
3 bottles of red wine (2-3 liters total)
2 cinnamon sticks
cardamom
allspice
1-2 oranges
1-2 lemons
5 cloves
Zuckerhut/Sugar Cone
1 German sugar cone/loaf*
1 bottle of rum
Directions:
1. In a large pot or kettle filled with red wine, add cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and allspice. Cut up the oranges and lemons (optional: make peel spirals), crush fruit to release the juice, and add to the punch along with the cloves. Warm to a steaming mixture. Do not boil!
2. Place a German sugar cone (Zuckerhut, sugar loaf)* on a metal rack/screen or clamped in metal tongs above the warm punch. (Substitute sugar cubes if you can't get a Zuckerhut.) Slowly pour high-proof rum over the Zuckerhut or sugar cubes and let soak for a minute. Carefully light the Zuckerhut or sugar cubes and let the flaming sugar carmelize and drip into the punch mix. Add rum as needed to keep the flame going until the Zuckerhut process is done.
Serve the punch hot in mugs or hot-tea glasses. (Note: Traditionally, Feuerzangenbowle was prepared with the Zuckerhut sitting on crossed swords atop the pot.)
*ZUCKERHUT: A German sugar cone or sugar loaf (lit. "sugar hat") is made of compressed Raffinade (refined sugar) in a cone shape. A German description of Raffinade: "Ein Zucker von höchster Reinheit und bester Qualität. Die Raffinade wird aus sehr reinen Zuckerlösungen gewonnen und entspricht hohen Ansprüchen." (A sugar of highest purity and best quality. Raffinade is made from very pure sugar solutions and meets high standards.) If you can't get the real thing, substitute sugar cubes in the recipe above.
ZIM WOHL! And Happy Holidays to the Stenger Family (the neighbors from my childhood).
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Comments
I was a German Lit. major in college and we had this at our German Christmas celebration every year. Yum. Thanks for the memory!
Posted by: Jordana | December 19, 2005 6:01 PM
i clicked on the sugar cone link, and i think the translator had already taken a few trips to the feuerzangenbowle...but thank you for the intriguing recipe...alcohol and open flames---sounds like a guaranteed good time!
Posted by: mary | December 21, 2005 10:26 AM
Hee. Mary, there is definitely something very "All Your Base Belong to Us" about this description:
Introduce yourself: A fire tongs punch without sugar cones -- impossible! The fine sugar is pressed in the classic hat form, the sugar cone is already ready. Knows originally have you arisen like this form? In the past, the dark sugar mass was filled into big funnels. The vague liquid shares went off to below -- only the white sugar had left in the funnel ....
Posted by: jm | December 21, 2005 10:50 AM
I am a second year German student, and my teacher just told us about this not too long ago. He was VERY enthusiastic about it, and now I see why! Maybe I will make some when we move into our new house, even though it will be a little after Christmas. Germans really know how to party.
Posted by: Marie | December 21, 2005 1:54 PM
I am a second year German student, and my teacher just told us about this not too long ago. He was VERY enthusiastic about it, and now I see why! Maybe I will make some when we move into our new house, even though it will be a little after Christmas. Germans really know how to party.
Posted by: Marie | December 21, 2005 1:54 PM
Has Aaron ever told you the story about mom's hair cinging while making glogg? You reminded me of that!
Posted by: Kjerstin, your sister | January 2, 2006 10:11 PM
Just one piece of advise. The rum must be really strong, 40% won't do. We learned this the hard way. 57% or some such is good. Some Germans use "Stroh 80" (also on the German grocery website) but it's not for the fainthearted :-)
Posted by: Ricarda | October 24, 2006 5:22 PM