As you may have gathered from my previous post, Christmas has really hit here in Frankfurt. The Christmas market began just before the first advent and seems to grow daily. I found an extra twenty stalls today that I am sure were not there last weekend. Among the hand crafted decorations, crepes, sausages and general tat (hopefully more to follow on these later), the main staple of any Weihnachtsmarkt is Glühwein.
Glühwein is an alcoholic beverage, served warm, consisting of red wine which has been heated with herbs and spices and fruits: usually containing cinammon, cloves and oranges. So, basically, it is mulled wine. But somehow it is much, much better than the horrible mulled wine you would always try a sip of at Christmas parties when you were little and then spit out, claiming you would never drink alcohol again in your life because it tasted manky.
The whole idea of Glühwein is ingrained into every German (and temporary German resident) as soon as Christmas is mentioned or the temperature starts to hover around zero (whichever is soonest). It offers a chance to warm up, due to the temperature and alcohol content is served at, an excuse to visit the Christmas market, and a good reason to meet up with some friends and ensure the Christmas period is merry.
Glühwein is available at bars, cafes and of course the Weihnachtsmarkt. The going price this year seems to be 2,50 €. Prost!
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