It’s time to contemplate survival essentials we’ll need to prepare for a harsh season ahead. Namely: What will we sip on during the year’s most frigid months? Glögg, a mulled wine served warm, may not be the first thing you think of, but when you taste what’s being produced in Kingston, you may change your mind.Since 2007, Amy Richenaker and Kevin Davidowich have been making Hetta Glögg, based on a recipe brought to the US in the 1950s by Richenaker’s Uncle Olaf of Norway. Back then the recipe called for vodka instead of brandy and different spices were put to use. Nordic for “to heat,” Hetta is now roughly 80% port wine and 20% brandy. It’s an American twist on a Nordic glögg.When Hetta Glögg first hits the palate, there’s a familiar red-wine connection, which opens to reveal the spice — cinnamon, a plumminess, and a bit of citrus offering a cozy, warm-on-the-inside feel. When the drink is heated, the room fills with aromas that hint at this flavorful, complex comfort. “The best part is the aftertaste,” says Darren Davidowich, brother-in-law to Richenaker and Hetta’s managing partner. “Hetta leaves a smooth mouth-coating that is hard to describe.”The business has boomed since the couple started producing the beverage 10 years ago in their personal kitchen in Roxbury, New Jersey for non-commercial purposes. Hetta was first produced for commercial purposes in Rhinecliff, where they tweaked the original recipe and scaled it up. Now Hetta can be found in nearly 250 stores throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont. For Richenaker and Davidowich, “the energy, open-mindedness, agricultural, and entrepreneurial spirit of the Hudson Valley make it the perfect home. People here are worldly and open to new tastes and ways of experiencing things, like wine served warm.”For tips and creative recipes on how to serve Hetta visit www.hettaglogg.com.Related: Turn Your Summer Sangria Into the Perfect Fall Cocktail
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