Weihnachtspunsch Traditional German Christmas Punch Recipes

WEIHNACHTSPUNSCH RECIPE

Steps:

• Put the brown sugar into a saucepan large enough to hold all ingredients.
• Stir over low heat until it melts, and keep stirring when it's melted for another minute or two.
• Keep the flame medium low
• Then add the Tea, Wine, Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, and Vanilla. Stir to combine.
• Add the Sliced Lemon, sliced orange, cinnamon stick and cloves... stir.
• Then cut up the marzipan and chocolate. Stir until they dissolve.
• Let it all cook together for 15-20 minutes.
• Do NOT let the mix boil!
• Stir occasionally
• Remove the solid parts- orange slices, lemon slices, cloves and cinnamon stick.
• Add the Rum
• Give it a good stir and serve.
• You can keep this Winterpunsch warm over low heat.
• Stir if it begins to separate.

WEIHNACHTSPUNSCH - TRADITIONAL GERMAN CHRISTMAS PUNCH

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine the sugar and the freshly brewed (still hot) tea. Add the lemon juice, orange juice, cloves, and cinnamon stick; stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Add the red wine. Heat and stir over medium-low heat until just below the boiling point.
• Meanwhile, gently heat the rum in a small pot (do not boil). Once hot, add to the larger pot and mix together.
• Remove cloves and cinnamon stick.
• Ladle into mugs. Serve hot with a fresh lemon or orange slice.

FEUERZANGENBOWLE (BURNT PUNCH, TRADITIONAL GERMAN BEVERAGE)

Steps:

• Wash the oranges and lemons thouroughly, pat dry and cut into slices or wedges.
• In a large pot add red wine, oranges, lemons, cinnamon and cloves. Heat up slowly, but let not boil.
• Move pot from heat and place it on a heating surface, stove or flame (which you can place on the table, like the one you use for Fondue). Add ginger.
• Place the sugar loaf above the red wine mixture (about 1 inch above the surface). You can use a special "fire tongs", which is made for this purpose. You can also a kind of wire netting to place the sugar loaf on.
• Soak the sugar loaf with rum and light up the alcohol. The sugar will melt and drip into the wine. Add rum (little by little) to keep the fire burning until the sugar loaf is used up.
• After the sugar loaf is used up stir gently and serve. If you like you can also use the orange or lemon wedges too.
• NOTE on red wine: use a dry red wine. It should not be too light.
• NOTE on equipment: there is a special equipment used in Germany, especially the fire tongs. You can make your own. It is important that the sugar can drop into the wine and that the sugar loaf can not fall down or that the hot (melted) sugar can drop outside the pot.
• NOTE on how to light the rum: I put the rum into a small scoop and light it "outside" the Feuerzangenbowle and then pour it over the sugar loaf very carefully.
• SAFETY: be very careful, you are handling with alcohol and fire. Take the necessary precautions.