Feuerzangenbowle in my living room!

Last weekend I hosted a gathering at my home involving lots of flaming alcohol. Feuerzangenbowle is a German student tradition involving a movie about university student pranks and a flaming bowl of alcohol. The drink is made by laying a cone of sugar over the top of a pot filled with spiced red wine. A very highly concentrated bottle of rum is then ladled over the top of the sugar and lit on fire. The dripping caramelized sugar that ensues sweetens the drink while burning. The whole event is a visual delight and warmed both my apartment and the lovely spirits of those that were here to witness it. Perhaps it is not the most Estonian of ways to begin the holidays, but I think that the international bunch (Estonian-American-German-Russian-British) enjoying the event and the drinks would agree that it was a festive way to begin the holiday season.