An open fire and gluhwein

Tonight will be an open fire and gluhwein night, I can tell. The shopping's mostly done, Geoff's finals are mostly graded and Xandie's mostly cleaned up the living room. That means that after dinner we can make some gluhwein, watch a movie, and relax in front of the fire. We seriously learned about this drink when living in Germany for a year. During the typically chilly Christmas Market season, which seems to start a month before Christmas, gluhwein huts abound and everyone  seems to be walking the streets with a cup in hand (adults, that is). The smell is wonderful and it certainly warms one up. Here is the way I make it at home:

Stud an orange with whole cloves (about 12)

1- 1/2 cups apple cider

2-3 cinnamon sticks

1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
a few shakes of ground nutmeg

Combine the first list of ingredients into a saucepan. Stir and heat gently until sugar is dissolved (usually just until it starts to boil). Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes.

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Add: 2 cups red wine

Heat gently until steaming, strain (or not) and serve in mugs. Some people like to add an orange slice and fresh cinnamon stick to each cup but it's not really neccesary. (This recipe easily doubles, triples or quadruples.)

"Prost!"