5 Cold Glögg Cocktails
Refreshing, fresh and festive twists on glögg – perfect for Advent, Christmas gatherings and New Year's Eve. All can be mixed alcohol-free.
Glögg Bubbles
A simple, festive drink with glögg and sparkling wine. Perfect as a welcome drink for Advent, a Christmas gathering or New Year's Eve.
Ingredients
- 50 ml red or white glögg
- 100 ml sparkling wine, any kind
Method
- Make sure both the glögg and the sparkling wine are well chilled.
- Pour the glögg into a champagne flute or other festive glass.
- Top up with sparkling wine.
- Garnish with lingonberries, pomegranate seeds, a rosemary sprig, a cinnamon stick or anything else that feels festive.
Tip: This drink is easy to make alcohol-free by using alcohol-free glögg and alcohol-free sparkling wine.
Glögg Sour
A fresh, festive drink where glögg meets lemon and a soft foam. Great as a welcome drink or after dinner.
Ingredients
- 50 ml cold red or white glögg
- 30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 10–20 ml sugar syrup
- 1 egg white
- Ice
- Garnish: dried orange slice, cinnamon stick or a little ground cinnamon
Method
- Pour glögg, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white into a shaker.
- Dry-shake first (without ice) so a fine foam forms.
- Add ice and shake again until the drink is really cold.
- Strain into a chilled glass.
- Garnish with dried orange, a cinnamon stick or a little ground cinnamon.
Tip: For a rounder drink, add 20 ml dark rum. For an alcohol-free version, use alcohol-free glögg and sugar syrup, without the rum.
Glögg Sangria
A cold glögg punch with citrus, ginger ale and ice. Perfect served from a pitcher or big bowl at a gathering.
Ingredients
- 750 ml red glögg, alcohol-free or regular
- 500 ml ginger ale
- 2 oranges
- 3 clementines
- 100 ml pomegranate seeds
- Ice cubes
- Garnish: cinnamon sticks, rosemary or extra orange slices
Method
- Cut the oranges into thin slices.
- Peel the clementines and slice them too.
- Put the citrus in a large pitcher or bowl.
- Pour in the cold glögg and let it sit for 15–20 minutes so the flavours mingle.
- Add ginger ale and ice just before serving.
- Top with pomegranate seeds and garnish with a cinnamon stick or rosemary.
Tip: For a more grown-up drink, swap some of the ginger ale for dry sparkling wine.
White Glögg Spritz with Lemon and Rosemary
A light, fresh, bubbly glögg drink with a wintery feel. Works especially well with white glögg.
Ingredients
- 60 ml cold white glögg
- 80 ml tonic water or soda water
- 40 ml sparkling wine
- 1 slice of lemon
- Ice
- Garnish: rosemary sprig and a few lingonberries or pomegranate seeds
Method
- Fill a wine glass or highball glass with ice.
- Pour in the white glögg.
- Add tonic or soda water.
- Top with sparkling wine.
- Stir gently.
- Garnish with lemon, rosemary and a few lingonberries or pomegranate seeds if you like.
Tip: For an alcohol-free version: use alcohol-free white glögg, tonic and alcohol-free sparkling wine.
Apple Glögg Mule
A cold glögg drink with apple, lime and ginger. Fresher than classic glögg and very easy to mix.
Ingredients
- 60 ml cold apple glögg or white glögg
- 20 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
- 100 ml ginger beer or ginger ale
- Ice
- Garnish: apple slice, lime wedge and a cinnamon stick
Method
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Pour in the cold apple glögg or white glögg.
- Add the lime juice.
- Top with ginger beer or ginger ale.
- Stir gently.
- Garnish with an apple slice, lime and a cinnamon stick.
Tip: Ginger beer gives more punch and a more grown-up flavour. Ginger ale makes the drink milder and sweeter. For a stronger drink, add 20–40 ml vodka or light rum.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cold Glögg Cocktails
- What equipment do I need to mix cold glögg cocktails?
- For most drinks, a regular wine glass or highball glass, a spoon and some ice are enough. To make a Glögg Sour you'll need a shaker – ideally a Boston shaker – and a strainer or fine sieve to keep out the ice. A jigger or measuring cup makes it easier to dose ingredients precisely, and a zester or grater is handy if you want to garnish with fresh citrus peel.
- Can I make all the cold glögg cocktails alcohol-free?
- Yes, all five drinks work great alcohol-free. Swap the mulled wine (glögg) for an alcohol-free glögg (available in both red and white at most grocery stores), use alcohol-free sparkling wine in the Glögg Bubbles and White Glögg Spritz, and choose ginger ale instead of ginger beer in the Apple Glögg Mule. For the Glögg Sour, replace the rum with more sugar syrup or a splash of apple juice to keep the roundness of the flavour.
- How long does a cold glögg cocktail keep in the fridge?
- These drinks taste best mixed fresh and served right away, since the fizz fades and the ice melts over time. If you want to prep ahead, you can mix the base (glögg, juice and any sugar syrup) and store it in a sealed bottle in the fridge for up to two days. Add ice, sparkling wine, ginger ale and garnish just before serving.
- Which glögg works best for cold drinks?
- Both red and white mulled wine (glögg) work well. Red glögg gives a deep, berry-rich, spicy impression – perfect for Glögg Bubbles and Glögg Sangria. White glögg is fresher and lighter, which suits the White Glögg Spritz and Apple Glögg Mule perfectly. Choose a glögg you enjoy drinking on its own, and the cocktail will taste even better.
- Can I make a bigger batch for a party?
- Absolutely. Glögg Sangria is already a punch-style drink that's easy to multiply – plan on roughly 1.5–2 glasses per person if serving it as a welcome drink. For the other cocktails, prepare a large batch of the base without ice or bubbles, then pour into glasses and top with sparkling wine or ginger ale right before guests arrive.