'Tis a fine time for mulled wine

Let's face it: The only thing good about winter in Chicago is the holidays. After that, the season is a slow decline into a hateful abyss. The gift-wrapped presents and the flickering lights may be gone, but the spirit of the holidays lives on in the form of mulled wine, a warm, boozy concoction that eases the chill of winter and allows the guzzler to conjure ghosts of Christmas hangovers past. Ordering it in bars and restaurants depends largely on where you are. Ask a Swede, and he'll call it glögg. Ask a German, and he'll say it's glühwein. But if you ask The A.V. Club, we'll tell you it's all just mulled wine, each with its own national twist. We'll also tell you where to get it.

GERMANY 
Mirabell Restaurant & Lounge (3454 W. Addison St., 773-463-1962)
National twist: Mirabell doesn't make its brew from scratch, but pours from a bottle of St. Christopher Glühwein.  It's poured over a cinnamon stick, placed in a clear glass mug, then given a squeeze from a lemon wedge for a little pop. The whole mix is microwaved for about a minute and a half, then served nice and warm.
Restaurant/bar-specific twist: A little juice from an orange wedge. While the lemon juice cuts through the alcohol and clears the nasal passages, the sweetness of the orange is like a soft hug after a playful slap on the cheek. The lemon and orange wedges are also served with the drink, allowing you to season the beverage to taste.
Price: $6
Dash of Christmas spirit: Mirabell's cozy, wood-paneled atmosphere. After a glass or two, you may feel like you're in a small German village, watching children in lederhosen dancing around a giant Christmas tree.
Available through: The end of March.

IRELAND 
The Grafton Pub & Grill (4530 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-271-9000)
National twist: While visiting his wife's family in Ireland, manager Mike Maloney received an Irish recipe for mulled wine from his mother-in-law. While a typical brew calls for only red wine, his Irish family adds two to three ounces of blackberry brandy per bottle of wine and a few peppercorns, measured to taste, for an extra kick.
Restaurant/bar-specific twist: Democracy. Customers frequently provide input on the drink. Usually, the comments revolve around adding more alcohol. Still, Maloney listens to all requests and makes adjustments. You want more cinnamon? You got it.
Price: $7
Dash of Christmas spirit: Maloney thinks it's the cloves, because there's something about the taste that reminds him of Christmas. Also, for many, there's nothing more synonymous with Christmas than strong boozy concoctions.
Available until: The end of February, and only upon request.

SWEDEN  
Erickson's Delicatessen (5250 N. Clark St., 773-561-5634)
National twist: The Swedes don't fool around: While most mulled-wine recipes generally call for red wine, but they prefer port wine for glögg. In addition, the traditional Swedish recipe calls for your choice of grain alcohol or vodka, with almonds and dark raisins used for flavor. Glögg is also served with a pepparkakor, a Swedish gingersnap cookie, to help absorb the alcohol and provide a sweet treat to complement the Scandinavian concoction.
Restaurant/bar-specific twist: Add more alcohol. Erickson's provides a glögg recipe, replete with suggestions to deviate from the tradition, like adding a pint of rum and/or brandy to the mix. 
Price: Glögg mix, spices, and pepparkakors plus a 750ml bottle of Absolut Vodka: $36.85 (makes about a gallon).
Dash of Christmas spirit: In this scenario, you can make one up. The A.V. Club prefers to drink glögg while wearing a Christmas wreath around our necks and savagely enumerating all the colossally disappointing presents we've received over the years.
Available through: The end of February.