FEUERZANGENBOWLE Experience at the Melounge Lounge Bar Ritz Carlton

The Fire Tongs Punch

Christkindlmarkt Strasbourg France
Tourist Office Photo

As my girlfriend and I prepared for the Christkindlmarkt tour of Austria, France and Germany I read about the mulled wine and Feuerzangenbowle practice taking place during the winter and at the markets where shoppers and revelers treat themselves to mulled wine. In very special events,  the mulled wine with sugar cone is lit on fire to add to the ingredients. So, in search of both the European Christmas Market experience  and the Feuerzangenbowle, we set out on the adventure. I had read of the Wien Ritz Carlton's roof top experience and noted something about the opportunity to experience the "Feuerzangenbowle". 


The anticipation began as we stepped out on the Christmas-decorated trolley in front of our Accors' Adagio Wien Hotel headed - dressed and hat 'n gloved for the weather -  for the Ritz!

Wien Christmas Trolley

Wien, or Anglicized, Vienna at the Ritz-Carlton – situated on the "Ring” road with that rooftop bar – Christkindlmarkt. In winter – what a delight, decorated for Christmas and a string quartet of classical music – – – bows and greenery. Throngs of people dressed for the opera. Women in seamed "stockings" and dressed to the hilt for cocktails overlooking the skyline of Vienna.

On our first visit, it was a line to get onto the elevator to reach the Christkindlmarkt on the top of the hotel. Yes, its own little market. And drinks too! 

Reflecting back - we met, Ritz's PR Manager Stefanie on our first journey to the Ritz when we stood in line for the elevator, which took us to the top floor in the open venue, all of green. A view overlooking the city and its highlight Saint Stephen’s Cathedral.

It gave us a view of all of the energy at night. Stefanie, "cooly" dressed, tall as I recall was overseeing the delight of the guests gathered on the rooftop. The Ritz pays careful attention to its guests. Well,  our disappointment that there was no Feuerzangenbowle or Fire Tongs Punch (more on that later) was dismissed when the lovely public relations manager said it would be later in the month and gave me her card to contact her when we returned. Which we did. Thus my introduction to the Melounge Lobby Manager Iris. We met our last evening in Wien. Iris, lovely young lady, petite, ash blond as I recall, was fashionably dressed in this lounge just off the lobby.  She so very Viennese - polite, practical and very social. Iris surprised us with her story of being assigned to go to the Santa Monica California Ritz Carlton. I told her I could only imagine the contrast ... Wein’s women in heels and fur to Southern California where people are universally in their Lululemon outfits or surfer shorts. 

Das Zuckerhut

If you don't know it,  let me spell it out for you. Picture a Yule Log in a blazing fire. And then and then you take 160 proof Austrian rum soaked in a Zuckerhut (sugar hat, cone shaped) and then at that magic moment you light it on fire. What a blaze! We sat back a little in our seats when the barman first lit the Zuckerhut. Usually an event for a crowd of skiers or a group coming in from the cold, we were true to that, i.e., the cold. We arrived a tad early, Austrians are proud of promptness to the time you schedule! A major contrast to my Greek upbringing. So the Senior Barman rushed to accommodate our early entrance. Later to learn that not anyone at the Ritz is permitted to make the Feuerzangenbowle. It calls for experience, tact and skill – along with a fire extinguisher close at hand. A little research and the comment frequently made to have a fire extinguisher on hand, leads me to better understand why. It also explained the inability to purchase the Strohs 80 at the airport; it is forbidden to take onto the plane.

However the highlight of this lengthy complicated process is the lighting of the Zuckerhut. The cone is held on a narrow pan designed to hold a cone but with small holes in the bottom. As the cone burns the melted caramel starts falling into the mulled wine. Sometimes little islands of caramelized sugar remain on fire sitting on the mulled wine. 

At my photographer's, <<S>>, Christmas party I was telling Margaret about this and before I could get into the actual details of the event that we had participated in Wien,   she enthusiastically exclaims 

 “you mean for the Feuerzangenbowle?” 

Much to my surprise and delight she too had experienced it and agreed with me that it is a real treat.

Melounge Lobby Feuerzangenbowle
 The Ritz Carlton

So for those venturous, here is the recipe, which you’ll need to adapt.

Or better yet, drop by and see Iris, promptly, at the Ritz Carlton for a treat at the Melounge Lounge Bar. 

Recipe adapted from “Food.com” -

2 liter of Austrian Merlot 1 cinnamon stick
Cardamom -1 Allspice - 1
2 oranges organic      2 lemons organic
5 cloves     dash of ginger
2 cups brown rum 54 proof or greater (Strohs 80)
Garnish with orange rind-shaped 4-leaf clover in a sugar crusted mug

Vielen Dank Frauen Stefanie, Iris und Herr Bar Keeper 

Drink – Melounge Specialty “Chocolate Old Fashioned”

   While you’re waiting for the concoction to brew (30 or so minutes)

Appetizer – Kilians Schinken-Kaser Toast (Kilians ham & cheese toast)

Music – Mozart, of course, this is Austria!

Fröhe Weinachten