Feuerzangenbowle (German Wine Punch)
Feuerzangenbowle is a traditional German alcoholic drink, often part of a Christmas or New Year's tradition. The name translates literally as "fire-tongs punch". Pay attention to the preparation and don't let drunks light the rum—it can cause nasty burns and you don't want that. The flambéed and caramelised "Zuckerhut" adds the unique flavour to the "Feuerzangenbowle".
- Prep
- 16 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 5 min
- Total
- 1 hr 21 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Special equipment
Feuerzange (specialized grate to hold the sugar)
Special equipment
Feuerzangenbowle bowl and heater
Special equipment
Ladle
Procedure
Put the wine into the feuerzangenbowle bowl, and heat it to about 70 °C.
Procedure
Wash the fruit with hot water.
Procedure
Peel the oranges and lemons into thin strips, and add the peel to the wine along with the spices.
Procedure
Place the feuerzange on the bowl and place the zuckerhut on it.
Procedure
Put the rum into a soup ladle and pour it over the zuckerhut. Then, carefully light it on fire.
Procedure
When the flame on the sugar has stopped burning, repeat the process with a fresh ladle of rum. Add the rum very slowly this time or you will burn your hand.
Procedure
When the sugar has completely dissolved, remove the feuerzange and add another ladle of unburnt rum to the bowl.
Procedure
Remove all solids (oranges, lemons, cloves, and cinnamon stick) from the bowl from the drink.
Notes, tips, and variations
The rum has to have at least 50% alcohol; otherwise the flambeing won't work. If the rum has a higher percentage of alcohol (>60%) the flame will be very big. Proceed with caution and add the rum slowly.
Notes, tips, and variations
If you can't obtain a zuckerhut, substitute sugar cubes.
Notes, tips, and variations
If you can't obtain a feuerzange, replace it with a grate.
Notes, tips, and variations
Instead of the feuerzangenbowle bowl and heater, you can also use a big pot on a normal cooking plate. A very appealing solution for a feuerzangenbowle bowl is a large (5 L or so) lab glass beaker (not previously used for its original purpose). It combines heat resistance and transparency, adding to the effect.
Photo: Oliver Merkel, Merkel.Oliver@web.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 15 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Nutrition information is not available for this recipe yet.
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