Dark beer warmed with honey, cinnamon, and a clove, bound with an egg yolk for velvetiness. Bittersweet and comforting, it was the northern grog before coffee arrived in the countryside.

Why this dish? Locally brewed beer accompanied meals, says her profile. At the family inn, on cold Hessian evenings, beer was warmed with honey and spices for chilled travelers — the drink that loosened tongues and gave birth to stories.

On evenings when the north wind bangs against the shutters, nothing beats a good warm tankard. I pour the dark beer into the iron pot, melt in a spoonful of honey, a stick of cinnamon, a clove, and heat without boiling — for boiled beer curdles and sours. To make it smooth as velvet, I bind it with a beaten egg yolk, stirring briskly. Drink it slowly, and you will sleep like a dormouse.

How it was made : Warmbier (hot beer, sometimes bound with egg as a Biersuppe) was a common drink and breakfast in northern and central Germany until the 19th century, before coffee replaced it. Spices like cinnamon and clove were luxury goods reserved for special days or important guests at the inn.

The contemporary twist : Serve in a small stoneware mug with a cinnamon stick as a stirrer, like a winter hot toddy.

Dorothea Viehmann · Charactorium