Swedish Glögg

2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

1 tsp. cardamom pods

1small piece ginger, peeled

Zest of ½ orange

6 whole cloves

½ cup vodka

1 750-ml bottle dry red wine

1 cup ruby port or Madeira

1cup granulated sugar

1Tbsp. vanilla sugar

½ blanched whole almonds

½ cup dark raisins

Crush cinnamon and cardamom in a mortar and pestle (or put them on a cutting board and crush with the bottom of a heavy pot.) Transfer to a small glass jar and add ginger, orange zest, cloves, and vodka. Let sit 1 day.

Strain vodka through a fine-mesh sieve into a large saucepan; discard spices. Add wine, port, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, almonds, and raisins and heat over medium just until bubbles start to form around the edges.

Ladle glögg into mugs, with a few almonds and raisins in each one. Keep any remaining glögg warm over very low heat until ready to serve (do not let it boil).

GF V veg DF

Yield: 6 servings