The other night I was out with friends and we got to finally sample some mulled wine. It was Christmas in a glass, and it was awesome.

Glühwein, or "glow wine," is a spiced drink from German-speaking countries. It is the traditional beverage offered during the Christmas holidays, and is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, citrus and sugar.

In Bulgaria, it is called greyano vino ("heated wine"), and consists of red wine, honey and peppercorn. Sometimes apples and/or citrus fruits, such as lemon or oranges, can be added.

In Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia, kuhano vino ("cooked wine"), is made from red wine and various combinations of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, sugar and orange zest, often served with slices of orange or lemon.

Nordic Gløgg or Glögg is found in Nordic countries (sometimes misspelled as glog or glug). This is normally made from red wine, sugar, spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and bitter orange, and optionally also stronger spirits such as vodka, akvavit or brandy.

To prepare glögg, spices and/or spice extract are mixed into the wine, which is then heated to 140-158 °F. The temperature should not be allowed to rise above 173.12 °F in order to avoid evaporation of the alcohol. When preparing home-made glögg using spices, the hot mixture is allowed to infuse for at least an hour, often longer, and then reheated before serving. In Sweden, ready-made wine glögg is normally sold at Systembolaget ready to heat and serve, and not in concentrate or extract form. Glögg is generally served with raisins, blanched almonds and Ginger biscuits (Ginger Snaps), and is a popular hot drink during the Christmas season.

You can often find mulled wine kits in stores, which will include the spices and sugar you need to prepare your drink. But it is just as easy to gather it all yourself.

A wonderful recipe can be found at Jamie Oliver's site here.

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I decided last year that my official cookie for Christmas was going to be biscotti. Last year I made a coconut white chocolate biscotti, but this year decided to “fancy” it up a bit. I omitted the coconut and added sprinkles to one loaf, and melted white chocolate with sprinkles to the other loaf.

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package white chocolate chips
4 squares of white chocolate bark
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Whisk flour with brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Combine eggs, butter and extracts in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in almonds. Stir into the flour mixture; mix well.

Knead lightly on a lightly floured surface until mixture forms a dough. Shape into two 4-by-10-inch logs with moistened fingers. Place on baking sheets lined with baking parchment. Bake for 45 minutes or until firm and golden brown.

Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. Cool logs on baking sheets for 10 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and remove baking parchment from the baking sheets. Cut logs diagonally into 3/4-inch slices with a serrated knife. Arrange cut side down on baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes on each side or until dry.

For topping the biscotti’s:

While the first batch is on its second bake melt the white chocolate bark in a double boiler. As it melts, add the vegetable oil. The vegetable oil will help it thin out some and make it easier to spread. Once the loaf has cooled from its second baking, arrange all the pieces together like it is still one loaf. Then with a spatula, spread the melted white chocolate bark across the loaf covering it with a thin coating. Immediately sprinkle on the sprinkles before chocolate sets. Then place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set.