Recipe
Feuerzangenbowle
German flaming fire-tongs punch
Chef Norbert Goldner, Café L’Europe, Palm Beach
Photography by Robert Nelson
Ingredients
3 bottles of red wine (2-3 liters total)
2 cinnamon sticks
cardamom
allspice
1-2 oranges
1-2 lemons
5 cloves
1 German Zuckerhut/sugar cone*
1 bottle of high-proof rum
In a large pot or kettle mix together the red wine, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and allspice. Cut up the oranges and lemons (optional: make peel spirals), crush fruit to release the juice, and add to the punch along with the cloves. Warm to a steaming mixture. Do not boil!
Place a German sugar cone (Zuckerhut, sugar loaf)* on a metal rack/screen or clamped in metal tongs above the warm punch. (Substitute sugar cubes if you can’t get a Zuckerhut.) Slowly pour high-proof rum over the Zuckerhut or sugar cubes and let soak for a minute. Carefully light the Zuckerhut or sugar cubes and let the flaming sugar caramelize and drip into the punch mix. Add rum as needed to keep the flame going until the Zuckerhut process is done. Serve the punch hot in mugs or hot-tea glasses.
Chef’s Note: Traditionally, Feuerzangenbowle was prepared with the Zuckerhut sitting on crossed swords atop the pot.
*Zuchkerhut: A German sugar cone or sugar loaf is made of compressed Raffinade (refined sugar) in a cone shape. (If you can’t get the real thing, substitute sugar cubes in the recipe above.)
