LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2023

SEASONAL Mull It Over

At holiday gatherings around the world, many hosts greet guests with a mulled wine drink that provides comfort and joy. Mix one up with sugar and spice, and everything nice, inspired by traditional recipes.

BY CHRISTINE SISMONDO | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES TSE

Whether it’s a mug of Glögg served up at a Christmas Market in Sweden or a family in Japan celebrating the New Year with a ritual that revolves around steeped sake, almost everywhere you go in the world, you’ll find a local holiday mulled wine tradition. Its roots are believed to go back to the taverns of ancient Rome, which specialized in a warm drink made with honey, dates, seasoning and, of course, wine. Since many taverns doubled as rest stops, it’s hardly surprising that one surviv ing recipe was titled “Spiced Wine for Travellers.” And travel it did. Over the next 2,000 years, mulled wine spread across the globe and, everywhere it landed, was adopted and tweaked by locals, who added their own flourish to make it unique.

GLÖGG Find this recipe at LCBO.com/fdholiday23

Pronounced “glug” or “glurg,” the Nordic Glögg tradition dates back at least 500 years, when it was popular with couriers who had to deliver letters through the cold Nordic winter.

FOOD STYLING BY LINDSAY GUSCOTT; PROP STYLING BY GENEVIEVE WISEMAN

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