Christmas Gems

Feuerzangenbowle

This is a German recipe and it means, roughly translated, Fire Tongs Punch

• 4 Bottles Dry Red Wine
• 1 Bottle Rum (above 40%, such as Woods Navy)
• 2 each unwaxed Lemons and Oranges
• 3 Cinamon Sticks
• 3-4 Cloves
• 1 Sugar Loaf (to be had at good grocers)

Cut thin strips of orange and lemon peel and warm the Rum.  Empty the bottles of Red Wine, together with the peel and spices into a fireproof pot or basin and heat it up, but don't let it boil.  There are special copper bowls available for this, but if you do not have one just use a saucepan.  Place the sugar loaf on the tongs (this is a stainless stell cradle with a slit in the bottom) and place over the saucepan.

Drizzle warm Rum onto the sugar loaf and light it - the melted, rum-soaked sugar will drip into the hot wine.  Keep adding more Rum until the sugar loaf is completely melted into the wine.  Serve in Punch or Wine Glasses.