***The following is a guest post by Russ Reyes of Kilt and Cork. www.KiltandCork.com
Wassail is truly a beverage to be shared with friends and family. A medieval Christmastide tradition from the cider producing counties of South West England, there are many ways to make it and many ingredients to start with, but the way it is consumed it the same. Traditionally served in a “wassailing bowl”, the warm mulled punch is passed around and everyone sips from the same bowl. Of course, modern day punch bowls all have individual service, but if you want to enjoy wassail in the traditional method, find a medium sized bowl that would allow the person to hold the bowl and sip from it!
The tradition of Wassail ritual at Christmastide, was to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year, or later, under the Christian influence, to thank God for his blessings and ask for a bountiful apple harvest the following year. Whatever the reason for sharing the communal bowl, it was a time of celebration and great joy, and shared with all of those who were loved!
Because it is a communal drink, it was inspired by the song “Welcome Christmas”, which the Who’s all sing around the tree at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. That spirit of community and celebration is what the Wassail is all about!
This wassail is the ale based version because the earthiness of the ale compliments the spices and fruit, but it is highly customizable, and a nice dry hard cider can be used in place of the ale.
- 6 Small Fuji Apples, cored
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Water
- 8 12 Oz Bottles of English Ale or Dry Cider
- 10 Whole Cloves
- 1 teaspoon Allspice
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Put the apples into an glass baking dish. Drizzle the brown sugar onto each apple, dividing the sugar evenly among them. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish and bake until tender – about 45 minutes.
- Pour the ale into a large slow cooker or large pot. Mix in the cloves, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Set the slow cooker to medium heat or, if using a pot, set the stove to medium to low heat.
- Bring the mixture to at least 130 degrees F, but do not boil. Once brought to temperature, you may strain the wassail through a sieve to remove the excess spices and make it easier to drink.
