Here is how you brew your own Swedish glogg with ingredients found in the US.

It is first Sunday of Advent. I wake up this morning and go outside to water my plants. The water feels icy cold on my fingers and I have decided that I need to start a new batch of Dunderglögg. 

Glögg is that Swedish spiced wine that you heat up and drink on cold winter days to warm you up from the inside and out. Here in the Bay Area we rarely have to worry about getting cold to the core, but you will find that this steamy holiday spiced libation doesn't need an excuse to be consumed. It is quite delicious and will be of great aid if you are having trouble getting in the spirit. 

Below you will find a recipe that I have adapted from the (in Sweden) famous "Två Dagars Dunderglögg" recipe. The reason I have tweaked the recipe is because the main ingredient - svagdricka - is impossible to find. At least in this part of the US. If you have an IKEA store anywhere close you can find my substitute, julmust, there. 

The recipe is very simple but very gratifying when you in 3-6 weeks, will be able to reap the fruits of your labor. The wine can be enjoyed in just a few weeks but will be even better next year, if you have some left that is...

MARIA'S DUNDERGLÖGG

(tweaked from "Två Dagars" recipe)

10 bottles (5 liters) of IKEA's Julmust

 2 packets(a little less) of active dry yeast (12g)

1 pound potatoes (about 1 1/2 russet baking potatoes)

4 inches of fresh ginger root

3 3/4 pounds sugar(almost a whole packet)

20g(0.7 oz) whole cardamom seeds

11g(0.4 oz) whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

250 - 500g(1/2-1 lb) raisins

EQUIPMENT:

1 bucket or vessel - 3 gallon capacity

Plastic wrap

( OPTIONAL) Plastic pliable tubing. I found mine at the pet store. 

Intended for aquarium use about 1/4 inch diameter.

Perfectly clean bottles of your choice

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and slice potatoes and ginger root. 

Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of julmust in a bucket or bowl. 

Add the rest of the julmust and all other ingredients.

Mix well.

Cover the bucket or bowl with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it.

Let sit in room temperature for 3-6 weeks without stirring. It is important to not touch the mixture during this time, as you will disturb the brewing process. 

After 3-6 weeks, very carefully bottle the wine using your tube. Stick one end into the bucket, but keep the end close to the surface. You do not want any of the sediment and lees to be transferred into the bottle and cloud your beautiful glögg. Suck carefully on the other end of the tube until the glögg comes through. Stick the end you just sucked, into a bottle and fill it up.

Heres a link on how to do it:
http://cloudberryandmoss.blogspot.com/2016/02/bottling.html

NOTE:

If you don't have a tube, don't worry! You can bottle your glögg by any method you fancy - just make sure you don't get the sediment into your bottles.

HOW TO PREPARE:

Coarsly chop almonds and mix with raisins.

Pour desired amount of glögg into a sauce pan and carefully heat it. You do NOT want it to simmer or boil, or you will burn off the alcohol. 

Pour the glögg into a mug and add a small amount of the almond and raisin mix. Enjoy just on its own, or with a slice of banana- or gingerbread.  

My Etsy shop:

www.etsy.com/shop/cloudberryandmoss