Mulled wine, or hot wine, or glogg, is wine that has been mixed with spice and served warm. The most common ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, ginger, orange peel and cardamom. Originally, it was consumed by Scandinavian messengers and postmen who traveled on horseback or skis in the cold weather.I was nowhere near Scandinavia or the extreme temperature when I tried this, but for someone from a tropical country, anything below 20 degrees is freezing.
I had come to Europe dressed for spring. It was after all, late March. Plus, I would be spending most of my trip in Portugal and Spain, where it would be considerably warmer. However, to get there, I first had to stop in Krakow. And winter had decided to stay a little longer in Krakow. So I spent my time in the city under layers of clothing, and still not feeling warm enough.
Luckily, as I was walking around the old town, I stumbled upon a market selling traditional Polish food and drinks. One of the stalls sold hot wine and mead. I don't know why but I was expecting mulled wine to be thicker in consistency and more milky, like eggnog or something. Instead, it looked just like normal red wine, garnished with a slice of orange.
The taste didn't disappoint though. It was just the right amount of spicy, and just the right temperature. I usually have a pretty high tolerance for wine, meaning I could easily down a whole bottle without getting the slightest bit drunk. But just a glass of this hot wine was enough to give me a pleasant buzz. I think I had just found my new favorite drink.
