"Wassail is a beverage of hot mulled cider, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, a Medieval Christmastide English drinking ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year." (Source: Wikipedia)
The Christmas tree and other decorations are up and I am counting the days until December 25th. For this blog post, I simply must share a wonderful wassail recipe that a friend shared with me in response to a question I asked about celebrating the Winter Solstice. I know some people don't care too much for eggnog but most people really enjoy a delicious wassail drink.
Celebrate the Winter Solstice with this Wassail Recipe by Spiderdust: Core out of some apples (not the whole way through), stuff them with sugar, put a bunch of cloves in an orange, and then roast all of the fruit for half an hour. Put the roasted fruit in a gallon of cider with some cinnamon sticks, allspice, some pieces of crystallized ginger, a few pieces of star anise, and then grate some nutmeg over it all. Optional: Throw in some fresh or frozen cranberries. Let it simmer on low all day long. People can serve themselves as they please. The longer it simmers, the better it gets.
More Wassail Recipes:
Here are five interesting and fun facts about wassail:
🍎 1. It originally meant “be healthy.”
The word wassail comes from the Old English toast “waes hael,” meaning “be hale” or “be healthy.” It was both a greeting and a blessing.
🍻 2. There are two kinds of wassailing
Historically, “wassail” could mean:
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A drink — a warm, spiced beverage (often cider, ale, or wine).
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A ritual — going door-to-door singing and offering a bowl of wassail in exchange for gifts, similar to modern caroling.
🌳 3. People used it to “bless” apple trees
In traditional apple-tree wassailing, villagers sang, recited rhymes, and splashed cider on apple trees to encourage a good harvest. They also placed toast soaked in cider in the trees as an offering to the orchard spirits.
🎶 4. Many Christmas songs come from wassailing traditions
Songs like “Here We Come A-Wassailing” and “The Gloucestershire Wassail” are remnants of these old rituals and were originally sung while going door to door with a wassail bowl.
🍯 5. Historic recipes were delightfully weird
Classic wassail wasn’t just mulled cider—it often included:
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roasted apples
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eggs or custard
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spices
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ale and wine mixed together
The result was a frothy, almost dessert-like punch.
