Christmas Traditions: Christmas Drinks

An elaborate Christmas menu calls for a matching drink. In various European countries, they have their own specialty on the menu, as do the Scandinavian countries. Did you serve an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink to your guests yourself? Or would you rather go to a restaurant with your family and let the chef spoil you there?

Mulled wine

Mulled wine is an alcoholic beverage that is drunk in Central Europe, especially in the period just before Christmas. To make mulled wine, red or white wine is heated with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and citrus peels, and optionally sweetened with sugar or honey. The drink is then consumed warm. During preparation, the drink must not get hotter than about 70°C, otherwise the alcohol will evaporate. Mulled wine usually has an alcohol content of about 13%, although ready-made mulled wine with 8,5% is also sold. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]             Industrially produced mulled wine is often made from lower-quality wine that is heavily sweetened. This type of mulled wine is frequently sold in large bottles. Higher-quality mulled wine is made from better wine varieties, for example from wine from the Rhône Valley, and is less heavily sweetened. A place where traditional mulled wine is available is the German Christmas market. It is usually served in a decorated mug stating the year and location of the market. A deposit of a few euros is charged for it. It is customary (and explicitly intended) for visitors to take one of these mugs home as a souvenir. No Christmas season is complete without mulled wine. The warm drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) is very popular. Almost certainly not just because it warms you up on cold days, but also due to the use of spices. A few of these spices, which in any case cannot be missing from my mulled wine, are: Clove is one of the most important ingredients. Clove oil eugenol has a long tradition as a remedy for toothache: it has a mild numbing effect and is also antibacterial. At Christmas, however, it is used primarily for its characteristic scent. Such aromas are also the reason why mulled wine must not get hotter than around 70 degrees Celsius. Eugenol, as well as cinnamaldehyde and many other fragrant chemicals, are susceptible to oxidation and usually form bitter substances. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]               [/ One_half_last] Oranges and other citrus fruit They contain not only vitamin C, but also a whole range of flavors and aromas. Their peels are particularly rich in limes, which smell intensely of orange. Cinnamon is another essential component of mulled wine. The aroma comes from cinnamaldehyde, which makes up about 90 percent of the oil in the cinnamon stick. The cinnamon stick is the middle layer of the bark of the cinnamon tree, which rolls up into a tube after harvesting. Cinnamaldehyde itself not only smells and tastes good, but also has an antimicrobial effect in high doses. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]               Another Christmas spice is vanilla, including the scent of vanillin – the most important fragrance in the world in terms of quantity. In addition, the aroma also plays a role in the production of medicines and medical analysis. Only a small portion of the vanillin comes from real vanilla pods. The rest is a byproduct of pulp production: Much of the wood component lignin is generated, from which vanillin, as well as related substances, are extracted using alkalis and oxidizing agents. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]             [/ One_half_last] Cardamom, is one of the most expensive spices in the world, along with saffron and vanilla. The two types, 'green' and 'black' cardamom, are used as flavorings in various regions and have positive effects on health. Consumption provides relief, especially for gastrointestinal problems. The ancient Egyptians chewed on seeds to freshen breath and whiten teeth. The seeds of green cardamom contain an essential oil consisting of a total of 120 individual components. The two main ingredients are alpha-terpinyl acetate and cineol. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]       [/ One_half_last] Anise It is one of the oldest aromatic and medicinal herbs. As early as the 16th century BC, Cretan herbal wine containing anise was used. In our latitudes, anise was eventually cultivated in monastic herb gardens by monks and nuns from the Middle Ages. However, for Christmas treats, decorative star anise is more commonly used. The fruits taste sweet, floral, and mild. The essential oil of anise consists of 95% anethol.  

Glögg wine

On October 23, 2020, Posten Aland (Aland Post) issued two stamps featuring images of two traditional drinks: Glogg and Knack Toffee. The Swedish word 'Glogg' has been known since 1609 and is derived from the word 'Glodga' (meaning 'to warm up').

Warm mulled wine has its origins in classical antiquity. Served in small cups, together with almonds and raisins, mulled wine has been a Christmas tradition in Sweden and Finland since the beginning of the twentieth century. Glögg wineTraditionally spiced with cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and bitter orange, it offers a huge range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties. Raisins and almonds are ingredients that originate from the warm punch of the 18th century. Raisins lend the drink sweetness and flavor, while the precise role of almonds in glögg remains shrouded in mystery. Almond is a flavor that has long been associated with Christmas and is often an ingredient in 'Knack Toffee– a type of Christmas confectionery that has been made since the 19th century. Along with other Christmas treats such as chocolate ice cream, gingerbread, and star-shaped pastries, 'knack' has remained popular. Before we know today's Christmas treats, a table full of sweets with nuts, candied fruit, and marzipan figures formed the highlight of the dinners, which mainly took place among the nobility in the 17th century.  

Christmas brew (Christmas beers)

A Christmas beer is a specialty beer released by breweries in the run-up to Christmas. A Christmas beer typically has a higher alcohol content than a regular lager, although some breweries also produce lower-strength Christmas beers. A Christmas beer should not be confused with a Santa Claus beer, which is usually a dark wheat beer with the corresponding sweet taste and a lower alcohol percentage. Historically, Christmas beer was already a strong, aged beer. Normally, people drank light beer daily, but at Christmas, a strong, well-aged beer was served so that the mood could quickly brighten. Christmas beer paired well with the rich food served at Christmas. A sweet variant of it was often drunk with rice pudding. The first commercial Christmas beer in Denmark, produced in 1892 by De forenede Bryggerier, was a so-called Salvator beer. It was brewed for only one year and was not adopted by other breweries. The first true period of Christmas beer brewing in Denmark began in 1905 with a Munich beer from Bryggeriet Odense. A few other breweries also started brewing specialty Christmas beers, but this ended in 1916 due to the restrictions imposed on the brewing of strong beer during the First World War. The second period of Christmas beer brewing in Denmark was started in 1929 by Tønder Aktie-Bryggeri. This was continued in the 1930s by various other breweries but stopped again due to restrictions on strong beer, this time because of the Second World War. The tradition was resumed in 1953 with Carlsminde's Christmas beer from Bryggeriet Carlsminde in Nyborg and has continued ever since.  

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Christmaholic: https://christmaholic.nl/ Previous Christmas Traditions blogs with many themes: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/kersttradities/