Every year around Christmas time I get ideas in my head of all the food I’m going to make. More often than not, it never actually happens. Last year, though, I made a breakthrough and actually made the applesauce I had been intending to do for years, and some crisp flatbread to boot. Success!

This year, it was supposed to be spiced wine — or glögg, as the Swedes call it. But then I was in the liquor store and they had so many varieties of glögg that I caved and bought a bottle. I’m still pretty excited though, because this is the real deal, and not the 2% alcohol stuff we normally get in the regular stores (you have to go to dedicated liquor stores here to get proper booze). I’m excited to see how it tastes. If it’s underwhelming, I’ll probably revisit making my own glögg next year.