Anyone looking for the right movie on these cold days in Berlin will inevitably come across a classic: “Die Feuerzangenbowle”. Even after Christmas, this cult work of German film history inspires countless people every year to make this hot drink themselves and sweeten the winter season. True to the famous movie quote, the punch is a balm for the soul: “A Feuerzangenbowle has it all! It gets to the heart. Soft and warm, it envelops the soul and takes away the heaviness of earth”.
The Feuerzangenbowle actually has a history going back over two centuries. In the past, it was made using real fire tongs from the fireplace set, but nowadays it is more practical to use special equipment to prepare it at home. We’ll tell you what else you need for the spectacle.
Ingredients for your Feuerzangenbowle
For the base:
- 2 liters of red wine: preferably a dry or semi-dry one
- 500 ml orange juice
- 2 organic oranges
- 1 organic lemon
- Spices: 2 cinnamon sticks, 5-6 cloves, 2 star anise.
For the little fire show:
- 1 sugar loaf (250 g)
- approx. 300 ml rum: It is important to have an alcohol content of at least 54% (e.g. pot or overseas rum) so that it burns.
How to prepare it successfully
First, mix the wine with the juice in a large pot or a rechaud vessel. Add the spices, sliced oranges and lemon zest. Then gently heat the liquid. Caution: The mixture must not boil so that the alcohol is retained and the taste of the wine is not overturned.
As soon as the base is hot, place the pot on a teapot at the table. Place the fire tongs across it and place the sugar loaf on top. Then carefully soak the sugar with a little rum using a ladle. Make sure that the sugar soaks up the rum without too much of it flowing into the wine beforehand.
The big moment: Carefully ignite the sugar loaf (preferably with a long lighter). To be on the safe side, never pour the rum directly from the bottle into the fire! Instead, add the rum spoon by spoon with a ladle so that the flame burns and the melting sugar slowly caramelizes in the pot.
When the sugar is completely dissolved, stir the punch briefly, remove the spices and serve the drink in cups. Cheers!