German Christmas markets are famous for many things, but one particular thing Germans love is coming together with friends, new and old, for a warm cup of Glühwein.
Glühwein, pronounced GLUE-VINE, is a mulled spiced wine dating back to the early 1400s, with hints of cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, anis, and citrus. The beverage begins with a base ingredient of wine. We have both red and white Glühwein, although more often it is red mulled wine that is traditionally consumed. The wine is then brewed over an open flame. As spices marry together with components from the wine, a delicious hot holiday beverage is created, perfect for warming the body and soul on a cold day.
The flavor of Glühwein varies from market to market, and even from booth to booth. Some brewers add sugar to give sweetness to the mulled wine. Others stick to the basics. One offer that is widely seen at Christmas markets is the option "mit Schuss," which means adding a shot of rum or other liquor to the mug of spiced wine. I can tell you from personal experience that if you are cold from standing outside in the snow, "mit Schuss" is one heck of a way to warm up.
But now, let's get to the topic of these mugs.
What throws folks off is when they finally break through to the front of the line to order and pay for their Glühwein, only to learn two things. (A) the vendor only takes cash, and (B) it costs nearly double the price listed on the sign.
Point (A) is indeed true. You do need cold hard cash at the Christmas markets.
Although many vendors now accept digital payments or credit cards, the vast majority still run on a cash-only basis, especially, the food and beverage vendors. A reasonable amount of cash to have on hand for someone who plans to do a little shopping and enjoy a sampling of foods and beverages is 100 euros. Of course, you can easily visit a market for far less, or far more. You can visit a Christmas market for nothing at all. But most people like to take home a souvenir or Christmas treasure for friends or family back home and to give a nice reasonable estimate, I am going to stick with 100 euros as a suggested starting point.
The mug that your mulled spiced wine comes in has a deposit, called "Pfand," pronounced FOND. The cost of Pfand varies from market to market, but on average, expect to pay around 3 euro in addition to the price of your Glühwein. The deposit is fully refundable once you return the mug. Sometimes, a market vendor will give you a round token that shows you have paid a deposit. In this situation, it is important to return the mug and the token in exchange for your deposit once you have finished drinking your beverage. Other vendors simply use the mug itself as the deposit. In either case, be sure to return the mug to the same vendor as to where you bought the Glühwein, because the mugs vary from vendor to vendor and from year to year.
I know a number of folks who have been collecting market mugs for decades---but I don’t know if this practice is frowned upon. I don’t think you’ll go to Christmas market jail should this be your situation. Sometimes, you just end up walking around the market with your Glühwein mit Schuss, only to realize that you have no clue where you are, or where the booth is that you bought your drink from.
It is not always clear for many people where you are supposed to order the Glühwein or return the mug in exchange for your deposit. Often, there is quite a crowd hovering on all sides of the market booth. Germans are not well known for their cueing or lining-up skills. But somehow, it all seems to work out in the end---so long as you can find the confidence to squeeze in, grab the attention of the barkeeper, and clearly order “ein Glühwein mit Schuss, bitte.” Pronounced, INE GLUE-VINE MIT SHOESSS.
Now, your turn:
INE GLUE-VINE MIT SHOESSS.
You’ve got it!
Just don’t forget, you ordered a mulled spiced wine with a shot of liquor. Brace yourself, friend. That mug might end up in your coat pocket, only to be discovered the next day. Bye-bye Pfand (deposit).
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