Lithuania and Denmark Drinks

On our first food tradition post we are going to Lithuania and Denmark to take a look at a couple of common Christmas drinks.

Denmark is located in Northern Europe and consists of the peninsula of Jutland along with 443 named islands (74 are inhabited); many of the islands are connected by bridges! The largest cities are Copenhagen (the capital), Aarhus, Aalborg, and Odense. Fun fact, Lego was created in Denmark in 1932 by a carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen who hailed from Billund, Denmark.

Glogg is a traditional Christmas drink from Denmark. It is a spiced mulled wine that is served warm. Originally it was called Glogi and was consumed by messengers and postmen who travelled long and far on horseback or on skis in the very cold weather.

Traditional Glogg is made by firstly boiling water and then adding spices to it. Common spices are cloves, cinnamon, ginger, orange peel, and cardamom. It is then simmered for a few minutes and then strained and after that blackcurrant juice and wine or other clear spirits are added to it. Often raisins and almonds are added to this drink as well.

Check out this recipe...

1 bottle of red wine

½ cup of sugar

2 tbsp. of orange zest

2 tbsp. of raisins

1 tbsp. of cardamom

2 tbsp. of ginger

1 stick of cinnamon

8 cloves

1 ½ cups of bourbon or vodka

Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot. Heat to 175 degrees Fahrenheit and simmer for 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let it stand for 1 hour.

Strain the spices out and add 1 extra tsp. of raisins. Garnish with an orange slice.

Lithuania is located in the Baltic region of Europe. It is located on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea and boarders Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and the Kaliningrad region of Russia. It has lots of rolling hills, forests, rivers, and streams. It has 108 km of Baltic seashore with many sandy beaches that attract lots of tourists. A couple fun facts about Lithuania, basketball is the most popular sport in the country, Lithuania has one of the oldest languages in the world today, and every St. Patrick’s Day the river Vilnia is dyed bright Emerald green!

Poppy milk is a sweet warm Lithuanian Christmas drink usually drunk with holiday dinner. It is made with two cups of poppy seeds that are soaked in hot water for a day or so until the seeds become soft. Change the water over this time. Crush the seeds in the food processor until a white milky liquid appears. Add some cool water and then strain the seeds and crush them over again. Do this quite a few times to get a good concentrated poppy milk flavour. Dilute the concentrate the you make with some cold boiled water and then finally add some honey or sugar to get the sweet flavour of your choice.

Christmas Tradition #5 - Eggnog

“Stir the eggnog, lift the toddy, Happy New Year everybody.” – Phyllis McGinley

It’s December 1^st already! Wow, time really flies. Today will be short and sweet because we’ve had a busy week with the craft fair and colds etc. 

We are taking a look at a sweet drink that comes out every holiday season and that is eggnog! You either love it or hate it; it’s not everyone’s favourite thing just like Christmas fruit cake. 

It’s most popular in North America but has gained some popularity in Australia. They do have something similar in Venezuela and Trinidad called Ponche Crema. It can be dated back to the early Medieval British times from a drink that they called posset. Posset was a hot curdled milk drink mixed with ale and wine and spices often to help get rid of colds and flus.  Eggnog is often home made by mixing eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon/nutmeg, and other flavours together but you can buy it from the store pre-made and ready to go. It can be consumed cold or hot, depending on the type of beverage you are wanting. If you buy a plain premade eggnog, you can add your own special flavours to it. You often will see Whiskey and Rum or liquors added to it or if you’re mixing up a special drink, you can add coffee or tea to it. When served cold, you can add 7-Up or Sprite and it gives it a mild citrus flavour and bubbly texture. Many people will make or buy eggnog lattes or specialty coffee and tea drinks around Christmas time. You might also find eggnog in some of your favourite desserts like ice cream, custards, puddings, fudge, and cakes.

Here is an easy recipe for basic eggnog that you can try out for the holiday season. Add flavour and other interesting ingredients for something more fun and adventurous.

You Will Need:

6 large eggs, plus 2 yolks

1/2 cup, plus 2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

4 cups whole milk

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Additional grated nutmeg for garnish

How to Make It:

Combine eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3- or 4-quart pan, whisking until well-combined. Continue whisking while pouring milk in a slow, steady stream until completely incorporated. Turn on burner to lowest possible heat setting. Place pan on burner and stir mixture continuously until 160 degrees Farenheit and the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Be patient. This should take about 45 to 60 minutes.
Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl to remove any accidental small cooked bits of egg. Add vanilla extract and nutmeg, stirring to combine. Pour into a glass pitcher, decanter, or container and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate this egg custard mixture to chill at least 4 hours or up to 3 days before finishing.
When ready to serve, pour heavy cream into a bowl and whip until it forms soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into cold custard mixture until combined.
Serve eggnog in chilled cups or glasses and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.