We’ve had British mulled wine, Scandinavian glogg and now we bring you the drink that – thanks to the near ubiquity of Christmas markets – most of us will be gulping down this winter: German gluhwein. Popular with Austrian and German skiers, it is just the ticket after a cold day outside. While it may lack the kick of glogg, some people like to add a shot of rum to their drink of gluhwein – but  we’ll leave that to your discretion.

Easy peasy gluhwein (Makes roughly 800ml)

Ingredients

750ml dry red wine

100ml water

3-4 tbsp sugar, depending on taste

Half a lemon, sliced

3 cloves

3 cardamom pods

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

Method

Throw everything into a heavy bottom saucepan and heat over a high flame, reduce the temperature after a minute or so and allow to simmer, without boiling, for 1-2 hours. Portion out – it should be enough for 4 – or set aside to cool a little, remove the ingredients and bottle for use in a week or two. Remember to serve in mugs or glasses that have been warmed in hot water as cold glasses will break.