"Feuerzangenbowle" is a traditional German drink made with red wine, rum, and burning sugar. As our friends Sonja and Roland were here over Christmas and we also invited Corinne and Dan, our friends from Menlo Park, we were enough people for one.

To get the drink right and not a "headshot", we used a really "drinkable" Merlot and high quality rum. Normally I would take rum with at least 54 Vol % alcohol, but that wasn't available here so we had to take 75 Vol %. It burns better, but I'd prefer the lower percentage.

Procedure (Don't do this at home - it involves fire and might be dangerous! Go somewhere where Feuerzangenbowle is served for your "first time"):

• Heat the wine on the stove (about 2 liters / three normal bottles for six people.) Don't let it boil.
• While heating the wine, put the juice from three oranges and one lemon, some cloves and two cinnamon sticks into the wine. Either use a tea filter or get it out with a sieve or so before continuing.
• As we have a "tool set" for the drink, we put the hot wine into the glass bowl and place this on it's own little stove.
• Now you need a metal "holder" that sits on top of the bowl and holds the sugar cone - this is called the "Zange". Put the sugar cone on top and soak it with rum.
• Now use a lighter or matches to burn the rum / sugar.
• I normally put some more rum on top while the sugar burns to keep it burning and consume the whole sugar cone, which melts and drips into the wine. NEVER pour the rum from the bottle onto the burning sugar. Use a metal ladle or scoop.

When the sugar cone is burned down, a really delicious drink is waiting for you. Enjoy it hot, with a good movie, and be careful, it's strong!