'Tis the season for the magical brew of glögg, which comes from the Scandinavian lands and makes winter worth living through. In Chicago, one of the greatest places for glögg is at Simon's Bar in Andersonville up on Clark Street, where $5 gets you a small but heady glass cup of cheer and accompanying ginger cookies. Simon's itself is a worthwhile experience, having been there since 1934 when the Swedes dominated Andersonville and still maintaining its unique ambiance of the pleasantly rundown combined with the curiously magnificent. An old-fashioned cash register, fireplace and comfy sofa, bar stools scraping the weathered floor and hitched up to the mahogany bar itself, which has served many a round. Making glögg at home is a fun adventure too, with the combination of warmed red wine, brandy, spices, orange peel, nuts and raisins adding to any holiday party--or something to spirit up writing out all those cards or wrapping, taping and sticking on the big shiny bows.
(Pictured: side view of Simon's from the bar, while glögging)
