Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/super-cool-ad-inserter/inc/scaip-shortcode-inserter.php on line 37

Beer soup – final product. Credit: CP Photo: Stacy Rounds

Baby, it’s cold outside. Seriously. That windchill penetrated my thickest winter jacket and turned me into a sad sack of shivers. The forecast shows no relief from the bitter January weather for the next ten Days, at least. So I figured there’s no better way to celebrate the freezing season than by whipping up some boozy soups.
For this experiment, I decided to pit two alcohol-infused soups against one another: Beer Soup from the 1965 edition of Simple German Cookery and Wine Soup from The Three Rivers Cookbook Vol. 1, published in 1973.

Each of these soups has two common ingredients: eggs and sugar. And both require a double boiler. Many of these old soup recipes contained eggs, probably because eggs were once a cheap and easy-to-find source of protein. I have some bad news for you folks …

I decided to make the wine soup first — not for any specific reason. But isn’t there a saying that goes “wine before beer you’re in the clear?” No matter. The original recipe warns that this soup will make me tipsy. Bring it on.

Wine soup recipe from the Three Rivers Cookbook, Vol. 1 Credit: CP Photo: Stacy Rounds

The original recipe for Wine Soup reads as follows:

5 egg yolks
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup water
2 cups dry white wine
1 stp. grated lemon peel
2 cloves or 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together egg yolks, sugar, and a mixture of cornstarch diluted in warm water. Pour into the top of a double boiler. Add the wine, grated lemon peel, and cloves. Place over boiling water and whisk continuously until the soup comes to a boil. (Approximately 3 minutes.) Remove immediately from the heat and serve. This is a Hungarian recipe.

Choosing a wine for the Wine Soup was more difficult than I had originally thought. I had done a cursory Google search of Hungarian wines, leading me down a rabbit hole. But I could not find a traditional Hungarian wine at the ol’ Fine Wine and Spirits, save for a Hungarian port, which would have been too sweet and not at all dry.

After careful consideration, I decided to substitute a Muscadet given that the varietal was very popular in the 1970s when the original recipe was published.
As for Muscadets, the only ones I found while searching the shelves of my local FW&S were fruited, so I veered away from those. Then, in the Chairman’s Selection section, I found a Picoul de Pinet. This discount French one-off had a similar profile to traditional Muscadet: citrusy, slightly salty, and with a hard mineral finish. So, nine bucks later, I had the perfect wine to recreate this dish.

Despite all the eggs and the cornstarch, the final product of the soup was pretty thin and runny. Not to mention super boozy. In fact, pretty much all I could initially taste was the wine. Perhaps this soup was some sort of running joke or a secret escape from a rough reality concocted by the Mothers of Hungary. They could make their soup, gather around the fire, and pretend they’re being warm and wholesome while getting drunk and shit-talking their families.

I poured my soup into a wine glass and took a few sips. It’s not bad. This is the place where I would normally change a recipe into something I love more, but I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’d like to try and figure out how to make Wine Soup cool again. Is this slightly eggy, slightly sweet, slightly spiced wine soup something we could serve with charcuterie and fresh crusty bread? Absolutely. Will it be the next best thing on a trendy menu? Probably not.

Beer soup recipe from Simple German Cookery Credit: CP Photo: Stacy Rounds

Moving on to the Beer Soup.

This recipe was suggested to me by our A&E editor, Amanda Waltz. She found this gem inside an old cookbook called Simple German Cookery.

The original recipe reads as follows:

1 qt. beer
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cream
1 tsp. cinnamon

Pour the beer into the top of a double boiler. Beat the egg yolks in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the sugar and cream, stirring until smooth. Add the mixture to the warm beer before it begins to bubble. Stir every few minutes. Lower the heat so that the water in the boiler is only just bubbling. When the soup begins to thicken, add in the spices and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

This time, instead of half a bottle of wine, I added nearly three full beers to the top of my double boiler. I used my glass Pyrex measuring cup to measure out exactly 32 ounces — not an easy task with a foamy beer.

I chose Leffe Belgian blonde ale for this recipe. I’m not sure if Pittsburghers in the 1960s would’ve been using a traditional German brew or something like Iron City to make this soup. However, I chose the Leffe because it has a smooth mouthfeel and lots of foam, with hints of vanilla and clove in its flavor profile. I thought it would complement the soup beautifully.

Beer Soup recipe. Credit: CP Photo: Stacy Rounds

For this soup, I changed three things: I cut the sugar by a quarter cup, added a quarter cup more cream, and added a pinch of pumpkin pie spice. I also discovered that the longer it simmers, the thicker and tastier it gets. I decided to leave it on for about an hour and wound up with something wonderful. But this isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it soup — you will have to check on it and stir it intermittently so it doesn’t separate.

You can find printable PDFs for each of these boozy soups below. And by the way, the Beer Soup was the clear winner for me … until I figure out how to pair the Wine Soup with some fresh and interesting finger foods, that is. The Beer Soup is warming, delightful, and amazing with a crust of sourdough bread.