Eierpunsch

Eierpunsch belongs to Advent and the Christmas market, the pale gold mug standing beside the red Glühwein pot when the cold gets into your hands. It is strongest around the winter stalls and the Silvester table, though every region treats it differently: the north keeps it cleaner with white wine and a little rum, the south likes it sweeter and thicker, and plenty of stalls cheat with bought Eierlikör, egg liqueur. Nicht aus dem Glas.

I make it from yolks, sugar, white wine, citrus, and spice because then you control the thing that matters. The yolks must thicken the wine without scrambling in it. That means low heat, steady whisking, and no boiling. Let it boil and the egg curdles, the wine turns bitter, and you've made sweet soup with yellow bits. Das ist kein Bierzelt.

The technique is simple and strict: warm the spiced wine first, temper it into the yolks, then whisk the bowl over barely trembling water until the punch turns pale, foamy, and coats the whisk. Runter mit der Temperatur. The rum goes in at the end because hard boiling drives off its nose before anyone gets to drink it.

Serve it at once, dusted with cinnamon or nutmeg, in a thick mug that holds the heat. It is generous and unfussy, but it is not a packet mix. Erst verstehen, dann kochen.