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).
Yield: 6 servings