We recently attended an amazing Feuerzangenbowle holiday party where we lit the room on fire. Quite literally. Well, at least we lit the wine on fire.
Feuerzangenbowle is a fun German tradition during the winter to warm everyone up inside and out! Feuerzangenbowle is often celebrated and consumed on either Christmas eve or New Year’s eve. The literal translation is “fire tong punch”. More often it is loosely translated as “burnt wine” or “burnt punch”. We had so much fun that we want to throw our own Feuerzangenbowle party!!!
Feuerzangenbowle is a crackling fire, dripping caramelized sugar into fortified wine, creating a lovely mulled concoction. First you infuse some wine with Citrus and spices ( mulled wine). Next, soak a sugar loaf (basically a huge sugar cube) in 151 rum. Then you set the sugar aflame and allow that caramelized yumminess to drip into the steaming punch bowl of wine.
The fire is bright, and there is a lively crackling and sparking as the melting drops of caramelized sugar drop into the steaming wine, creating a delightful, lovely flavor.
The sugar slowly melts down into the mulled wine, and the din of the conversation also melts into a warm sense of friendship, belonging, and good cheer. Feuerzangenbowle is a feast for your eyes, your stomach, but also your soul. What a wonderful tradition to learn!
Ingredients:
- 2 bottles of dry red wine
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- several slices of oranges and lemons
- several cinnamon sticks
- a few whole cloves
- a generous serving of 151 Rum
Special equipment:
- Simmering pot, on very low heat
- Fire safe punch bowl with votive
- Sugar ’Loaf’ or cone
- Sugar cone bridge (this is often included with the punch bowl). You can also use a flat vegetable grater.
- Ladel
Feuerzangenbowle Recipe
- Mull the dry red wine in a pot along with the fruit slices, the juices and the spices on very low heat until just simmering. Do not overheat or burn the wine.
- Light the votive under the punch bowl and pour the warmed mulled wine into the punch bowl on top of the votive.
- Soak the sugar loaf with a generous amount of 151 rum and set it alight above the steaming wine.
- Dim the lights so you can enjoy the flame while you allow the sugar to melt into the wine.
- Add more rum if the flame burns low.
- When the sugar is mostly melted away, remove it from the top and ladle the yummy mulled wine into cups or glasses for each of your guests.
If you would like to try this at home, you can purchase the Hot Pot Fire Tong package for simmering the wine with a votive along with the sugar holder and ladel.
Super cool!!!