Undoubtedly, one of the most important parts of preparing for Christmas is planning a festive dinner. However, when organizing the menu, we must remember to get a drink that suits the tastes and mood. Fortunately, we can choose from traditional, special drink variations consumed during the winter months. In our festive selection, we’ve picked out some of the most popular Christmas drinks from different European countries, which we can easily make at home!
Uzvar | Ukraine
The Christmas drink of the Ukrainians, uzvar is a drink made from dried fruits, mostly plums, pears and apples, which can even include dried peaches, rosehips and cherries. The hot soft drink full of vitamins contains only healthy ingredients and usually does not contain any alcohol. However, if you want to add something special to this drink, you should go with brandy or vodka.
Mulled wine | Hungary
An indispensable accessory for Advent fairs is this warming drink, which we also enjoy at home. Of course, as many houses as there are recipes, but everyone agrees that a good quality Hungarian red or white wine is essential to make the perfect mulled wine. However, seasoning is more a matter of taste: in addition to the basic orange, cinnamon and cloves, we can add lemon, honey and anise to the steaming juice.
Punch | Austria
Originally made by English sailors, the punch soon toured the world and became a popular drink in Austrian ski cabins. The special ingredients in the base juice, which consists of a mixture of rum, tea, water, sugar and spices, are citrus fruits, which give the drink a sour taste. In addition to the classic version, a version made with the addition of red wine is also common, in which we can use gin or whiskey instead of rum.
Glögi | Finland
Glögi, also referred to as the mulled wine of Finland—literally meaning “hot embers”—is a fruity drink based on boiled cranberry juice and apple juice, as well as red wine. In addition to the sweet-tasting ingredients, the combination of vanilla, cinnamon, dried ginger, almonds and raisins lends a spicy aroma to drinks that are popular with children, and in their case, grape juice is added to the glasses instead of wine.
Mulled beer | Poland
The idea of a heated beer may seem strange at first, since we prefer to have this drink cooled down, on warm days. The spices of the drink, which is very popular among Poles, are very similar to mulled wine: it also contains cloves, cinnamon and cardamom, but honey and ginger are used to soften the bitterness typical of beer.
Photos: Pinterest
Source: CulturTrip, ElectricBlueFood, NKFinnkor, NLC, Mindmegette, Sielők, StreetKitchen, Travelo
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