Sunday 24 January 2016

Glühwein

One of my favourite lines in the Narnia canon is "Bring spiced wine for their majesties", which I think must have been what we would think of as mulled wine.

My mother never made mulled wine; what she made she called Glühwein and I recall, at a party, a Scottish friend of my mother's insisting to me repeatedly and smugly that this was called "mulled wine" rather than "Glühwein". This was in the presence of one of my cousins, only six months older, who was attempting to have a very adult, sophisticated conversation with her and smiled patronisingly. "Glühwein" is the German/Austrian version and means, literally, "Glow wine" which speaks for itself. Another hot alcoholic beverage from that region is called Jägertee - or Hunter's tea. I have never before and never since seen so many adults of my acquaintance in hysterical laughter following a glass or possibly two of this. Its alcoholic ingredients include red wine, overproof rum and plum brandy. And perhaps you can forget about the tea.

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