Is there an American, British or Irish equivalent to the German mull wine?

[Torsten]

Every year around Christmas the Germans consume massive amounts of their typical mull wine which they call "Glühwein". You can buy this overpriced unhealthy beverage on every corner of a German city it seems that everybody here is a real Glühwein junky.
So, what is the situation in the English speaking world? Do you have a similar drink and is it as popular and overpriced as the German gluhwein?

Happy drinking,
Torsten
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[Ralf]

[Torsten]

Hi Ralf,

Thanks for your response -- I guess my question is neither related grammar nor to vocabulary. But again, it's a language and culture issue, isn't it? So, if you were to compare Hot Toddy against Glühwein, which would be your number one? I take it you are familiar with Glühwein?
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[Ralf]

[Mister Micawber]

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I used to drink a lot of eggnog (but I cannot buy it in Japan). Mulling takes too long.
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[Yankee]

Overpriced or not, Glühwein is something I remember fondly about Germany. There's something very special about going to German Weihnachtsmarkt ("Christmas market" -- which is not a particularly satisfactory translation to me) with friends on a cold December day and having a Glühwein or two to warm you up.

By the way, my sister used to have two Saint Bernards. Their names were Glühwein and Jägermonster.
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[Torsten]

Hi Amy,

So are Americans familiar with the term "Glühwein" or has your sister lived in Germany too? Also, is there an American equivalent to the German Weihnachtsmarkt or is it just a German phenomenon?
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[Yankee]

Glühwein is probably only known to Americans who have visited Germany, Austria or Switzerland in the winter months. Most Americans would probably call it 'mulled wine'. However, mulled wine is not drunk here with anything like the frequency that Glühwein is drunk in Germany.

My sister spent her honeymoon skiing in the Swiss Alps, and it was there that she and her husband first drank some Glühwein (and fell in love with Saint Bernards). When they got their dogs, they wanted to give them names that seemed typically German -- thus Glühwein and Jägermeister. Jägermeister ended up being called Jägermonster because he was so incredibly gigantic -- even by Saint Bernard standards.

During the winter holidays, many people here drink eggnog -- either unspiked or spiked with rum, whiskey or brandy.
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[Torsten]

Amy, why do you think eggnog is so popular in the US while in Germany it's not. And on the other hand, the Germans seem to obsessed with their Glühwein while in the US it's rather unknown. I mean, there quite a number of things that are almost equally popular in the US and Germany such as certain fast food chains and there are these significant differences like the eggnog/Glühwein discrepancy. What do you think is the reason for this?

Thanks a lot,
Torsten
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[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

I'd say that the reason eggnog became a "traditional" Christmastime beverage in the US is stated in this Wikipedia article (in the final paragraph of the section called "History"):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggnog

The explanation sounds quite plausible to me:

"The ingredients for the drink were too expensive and uncommon for the lower classes, but it was popular among the aristocracy. "You have to remember, the average Londoner rarely saw a glass of milk," says author and historian James Humes ("To Humes It May Concern", July 1997). "There was no refrigeration, and the farms belonged to the big estates. Those who could get milk and eggs to make eggnog mixed it with brandy or Madeira or even sherry."

The drink crossed the Atlantic to the English colonies during the 18th Century. Since brandy and wine were heavily taxed, rum from the Triangular Trade with the Caribbean was a cost-effective substitute . The inexpensive liquor coupled with plentiful farm and dairy products helped the drink become very popular in America."
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