The basic ingredients are:
- Dry red wine
- Sliced oranges (and/or apples)
- Sugar (or another sweetener).
And the traditional Christmas Glühwein contains cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and star anise. You can choose the right amount of spices according to your own taste. Or you can also adjust the spice mix to your taste by adding any combination of the following spices: vanilla (pod), nutmeg, ginger, fennel, juniper berries, chili pepper, coriander, and bay leaves. Each of these spices will bring on its unique aroma, so feel free to add your favorites and start creating your own first Glühwein at home. The only thing to pay close attention to is to not let your Glühwein boil.
The second creative option for your Christmas drink can be Lumumba. A Lumumba is a long drink named after Congolese politician Patrice Lumumba. In German, people also call the drink “Tote Tante / dead aunt”, which is the term used on the Western Coast of Denmark, Northern Germany and the Netherlands, where the drink is the counterpart to coffee.
Hot Lumumba is also a very popular drink during Christmas Fest in Germany, as it is a warm and delicious drink that delights your mood in chilly winter days. It consists of cocoa, sometimes accompanied by cream, and a shot of rum. Some alternatives to replace the rum is amaretto or brandy.
My favourite Lumumba ingredients are:
- Brandy
- Hot chocolate
- Cream
Usually, we boil water to pour into the glass to pre-heat it, then we make the hot chocolate, add brandy and top off with hot chocolate. In the end we pour the cream on the top. A fresh made, super delicious Lumumba is ready to be tasted!
Traditionally in Germany, Glühwein and Lumumba can be enjoyed together with traditional German Christmas cookies, like Lebkuchen, or some cheeses. I personally like baked brie along the side. No matter what, just try it. Never try, never know! So maybe you will like these two traditional German drinks for Christmas too.