A month ago I was in Berlin with my husband Rafi and it was cold. Really cold. We were strolling along in Potsdamer Plats- and in between the many food stalls, which include sausages, sandwiches, potatoes, pizza and more-we found a stand which sold glue wine- a warm, sweet and spiced wine that the Europeans drink exactly during this time of year (before, during and after Christmas). We paid four Euros and got a big mug full and continued strolling along in the area, passing the mug back and forth between the two of us, taking sweet sips, warming up with each sip, and enjoying ourselves! When we finished, we went back to the stand and returned the mug, and got our two Euro deposit back. It was Globy.

You don’t have to live in Europe in order to enjoy Glue wine- winter has officially arrived and every party/meal (New year’s anyone?) would be honored to start with this drink, which is sure to put everyone in a good mood. Just do yourselves a favor- Don’t use bad quality red wine (the kind that tastes like vinegar). Invest in good red wine (not necessarily expensive), that you would like to drink without any additives.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 1 orange, sliced horizontally into ½ cm. slices
• ½ lemon, sliced horizontally into ½ cm. slices
• ¾ inch (2 cm.) piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 whole cloves
• ½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup cognac or brandy

Preparation:

• Mix all ingredients together in a large pot, stirring frequently, bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes uncovered. It shouldn’t be boiling so that the alcohol doesn’t evaporate.
• Serve warm.