There’s nothing like the smell of mulled wine, don’t you agree? A pot on the stove (or in the slow cooker) fills the house in a way that Christmas potpourri tries to do, but it’s authentic and not sickly sweet, and the taste warms you from the tips of your frozen toes to the top of your pom-capped head.

For those of age, of course.

The above scene that I’ve tried to set I hope tells you that the holidays are just over yonder, and that, being now November we’re looking at Thanksgiving. Yeah, I can’t even believe it either, but I’ve somehow managed to have my act together enough to tell you that I’ve cooked a German Thanksgiving for you, and I can’t wait to tell you about it!

For the past few years, I’ve twisted up our traditional American faves in a way to give them a little international flair. We’ve trekked through Spain, the Middle East and France just last year, and this year, inspired by some pretzel stuffing from the Whole Foods hot bar, we’re all heading to Germany to get our Thanksgiving pants on.

Before we even think about digging into the real stuff, let’s all get warmed up with some Glühwein, which translates to ‘glowing wine,’ known more as mulled wine around these parts.

Mulled wine can be found at any of the marvelous holiday markets that pop up around Europe this time of the year, but it always has a very German association to me thanks to all of my years in Chicago. Every holiday, a little German market pops up downtown (with the vendors coming all the way from Germany!) selling the brats and gingerbread that you’d expect, and little ceramic mugs filled with steaming wine, the only thing that will realistically keep you warm against a frigid Chicago breeze.

This recipe couldn’t be much easier and takes all of 10 minutes until it’s ready to drink (though the longer it sits, the better!). I’ve adapted it from Bavarian News with a twist of my own. I’d opt for a dryer red wine, or if you do opt for sweet, adjust the amount of sugar to your taste.

Cheers, because the holidays are a-coming!

Ingredients:

1 bottle semi-sweet red wine (I used Merlot);

1 orange

1″ cinnamon stick

1 whole star anise

~20 whole cloves

1/3 cup granulated sugar