If you are not fond of fruit, please do not proceed reading this article. If you recognize the following recipe as a heavily-adapted, non-alcoholic version of the Nordic beverage, gløgg, glögg, or glögi, you would be correct. It is a drink worth sharing.
Ingredients:
- A heaping mugful of apple cider, unfiltered and however sweet as the drinker likes it
- Anywhere from one reasonable handful to a collection just enough to fill one fun-size Milk Duds box’s worth of dried fruit, such as dried cranberries, golden raisins, and dried apricots
- Optional fillings: slivered almonds, citrus peel (without the pith), a stick of cinnamon, whole cloves, cardamom, ginger, and brown sugar
Instructions:
- Bring the cider to a simmer with any citrus peel, spices, and sugar. Microwave if the drinker likes their mugs painfully hot; heat on stovetop if the drinker wants a stronger spice flavor so much that they would wash an extra pot. Optionally, add dried fruit now for a softer eventual texture.
- Strain out any peel and/or spices.
- Transfer remaining liquid into container of choice. Add in dried fruit and nuts if did not do so previously.
- Stir and sip!
This drink is best consumed piping hot with cold hands.* The spices can be steeped in the cider up to days beforehand and reheated just before serving. Happy break!
* Please do not actually freeze your hands. Really.