Glühwein

The foundation of a good Glühwein is red wine. Choose a fruity, dry or medium-dry wine with moderate tannins and balanced acidity. Merlot, Dornfelder, Zweigelt and softer red wine blends work particularly well. Avoid heavily oaked or highly tannic wines, as heating can emphasise bitterness. Drinkero's single-serving recipe uses 120 ml, making it suitable for a small warming drink.

Fresh orange introduces natural citrus sweetness and bright fruit aromas. Use two thin slices for one serving: one to infuse the wine and one for garnish. Orange complements the wine's dark fruit character while creating an attractive contrast against its ruby-red colour. Wash the orange thoroughly before slicing.

Cinnamon sticks provide the familiar warming fragrance associated with winter and Christmas drinks. Whole cinnamon is preferable to ground cinnamon because it releases flavour gradually and can be removed easily. Drinkero uses one cinnamon stick per serving for convenient measuring, but recommends removing it after a brief infusion to prevent the flavour from becoming too strong.

Whole cloves contribute a concentrated, sweet-spicy aroma that works naturally with red wine and orange. One whole clove is sufficient for this recipe. Cloves are particularly powerful in small quantities of liquid, so avoid extending the infusion unnecessarily.

Star anise is an optional ingredient with a distinctive sweet, liquorice-like character. Use one whole food-grade Chinese star anise pod for easy measuring, but remove it quickly once its aroma becomes noticeable. The pod can also be used briefly as a decorative garnish, as shown in Drinkero's cocktail image.

Finally, sugar balances the wine's acidity and the intensity of the spices. Drinkero recommends 10 g per serving, giving the drink a pleasantly rounded sweetness without becoming syrupy. Ordinary white sugar works well, while brown sugar can introduce subtle caramel notes.

The balance of Glühwein depends on the red wine, the sweetness of the sugar and the intensity of the spices.

Drinkero's single-serving recipe uses 120 ml red wine, two orange slices, 10 g sugar, one cinnamon stick, one clove and one optional star anise pod.

For a drier, more wine-forward version, reduce the sugar to approximately 5–7 g. This allows the wine's natural fruit character to become more noticeable.

For a sweeter Christmas-market style, increase the sugar to approximately 12–15 g. The drink will have a rounder, sweeter finish, particularly when using a dry red wine.

For a more citrus-forward version, gently squeeze a little juice from the orange slice into the warm wine. This creates a brighter fruit character without requiring additional ingredients.

For a milder spice profile, remove the clove and star anise after just two or three minutes, leaving the cinnamon slightly longer if desired.

For a more aromatic version, allow the cinnamon to infuse a little longer, but taste regularly rather than adding more spices.

If the Glühwein tastes too sweet, a small amount of additional wine may help restore balance. If the spice flavour becomes overpowering, remove the spices immediately and dilute with a little more warmed wine.

The goal is a warm, pleasantly sweet red wine drink with recognizable citrus and gentle festive spices—not a concentrated spice infusion.

The tradition of combining wine with aromatic spices dates back to ancient times, long before modern German Christmas markets became associated with Glühwein.

Ancient Romans prepared flavoured wines, sometimes using honey and spices to introduce sweetness and fragrance. Similar preparations became popular throughout medieval Europe, when aromatic spices were especially valuable.

Over the centuries, warm spiced wine developed into a familiar winter drink across Central Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria.

One of the earliest surviving documented German Glühwein recipes dates to December 1834. It was written by August Raugraf von Wackerbarth in Saxony and used white wine with a selection of spices.

That historical recipe was rediscovered in 2013 in the Saxon State Archives, providing an interesting connection between nineteenth-century winemaking and today's Glühwein tradition.

During the twentieth century, Glühwein became increasingly associated with German Christmas markets, where steaming mugs of spiced wine offered visitors a warming drink during the winter months.

Today, red Glühwein remains particularly popular, although white wine variations and non-alcoholic versions are also widely enjoyed.

The combination of red wine, orange, cinnamon, cloves and sugar has become one of the most recognisable expressions of this European winter tradition.

The most important technique when preparing a single serving of Glühwein is controlling the intensity of the spices.

Begin with a small saucepan rather than a large pot. Add 120 ml red wine, sugar, one orange slice and the whole spices.

Heat the mixture gradually over low heat. The wine should become warm and aromatic without reaching a boil.

A temperature of approximately 65–70°C is suitable for developing the flavours while avoiding unnecessary alcohol and aroma loss.

Once the wine reaches the desired temperature, begin tasting regularly.

The cinnamon should introduce a gentle warming fragrance, while the clove and optional star anise remain subtle supporting flavours.

For this recipe, a 3–5-minute infusion is generally sufficient. Remove the star anise and clove sooner if their flavours become too prominent.

Unlike larger Glühwein recipes, which may benefit from longer infusion, a small 120 ml serving can become heavily spiced very quickly.

Once the drink tastes balanced, strain out the orange and spices, then pour it into a heat-resistant glass mug.

Finish with a fresh orange slice. If desired, return the cinnamon stick and star anise pod briefly for the photographed presentation, but remove them before their flavour becomes overpowering.