Apple Glögg with Cognac

Ingredients

About 1 litre

• 1 litre robust apple cider or apple wine
• About 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• About 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 5 whole cloves
• 3 pieces dried whole ginger
• 6 whole allspice berries (optional)
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• About 100 ml cognac, a simple one is fine

Method

1. Pour the apple cider or apple wine into a saucepan and heat gently to about 50°C. It should not boil.
2. Stir in the dark and light brown sugar. Adjust the amount to how sweet you'd like the glögg.
3. Lightly crush the star anise and cloves in a mortar.
4. Add all the spices to the warm apple base.
5. Cover and let the glögg steep for about 1 hour.
6. Taste. Add a little more sugar if needed. For a fresher, lighter taste, dilute with more apple cider or apple wine.
7. Let the glögg cool and chill overnight, longer if possible, so the spices can release their full flavour.
8. Warm a small taster to drinking temperature and taste again.
9. Strain out the spices. If a particular spice is missing from the flavour, add a little more of it, reheat to about 50°C and chill for another night.
10. Once the base glögg has a warm, rounded, spiced flavour, add the cognac.
11. Stir well and let the glögg rest for about 1 hour so the flavours combine.
12. Warm a new small taster and adjust with more cognac, sugar or apple cider/wine if needed.
13. Once you're happy with the flavour, chill the glögg overnight so any sediment settles at the bottom.
14. Carefully pour the glögg into a clean bottle, leaving the sediment behind.

Serving

Serve the glögg warm in small cups or glasses. It pairs nicely with classic accompaniments such as almonds and raisins, but also works wonderfully as a more indulgent glögg alongside cheese, gingerbread cookies or festive savoury nibbles.