Wassail

Wassail: "a liquor made of apples, sugar, and ale; a drunken bout; a merry song". Samuel Johnson's dictionary 1756.

The history of the wassail tradition is quite interesting. In Saxon times, "was hail", literally was a way greet or say goodbye to somebody; conveying the meaning, “be in good health”. By the12th century, it had become the standard salutation offered as a toast, to which the appropriate reply was "drinc hail", ie. “drink in good health”. Eventuall, the term also was used to refer to the drink in which the toast was offered, especially the apple-spice ale or mulled wine that was drunk on Christmas Eve or Twelfth Night. Wassail can be done anytime in the Christmas season, but my English friend Phaedra likes to have her annual Wassail party in January as a Twelfth Night party, as it gives people time to recover from all the pre-Christmas parties a bit. In Britain, the Twelth Night tradition was to toast to the good health of the apple trees that would bear the apple crop from which next year’s cider would be made. Pieces of cider-soaked bread soaked in cider were placed in the trees as songs were sung, and guns were fired to ward off evil spirits. Traditionally, the Wassail Bowl, filled with this hot apple toddy, or Wassail, was carried from door to door, allowing people the joy of caroling and passing along the wassail bowl so more people could offer the blessings to the apple trees. That said, here are two delicous wassail recipes for you to enjoy, and of course, in the spirit of wassail, share with your friends.

Hot Toddies : Mulled Wine, Buttered Rum, Spiced Cider, and Other Soul-Warming Winter Drinks

Cute host/hostess gift idea!

Basic Wassail Bowl Recipe

Combine cider with spices and fruit slices and heat over a low flame until warm and steamy. Simmer gently for 1 hour or more. The longer you simmer it, the spicier the brew. Add sugar to taste. Strain the mixture through a sieve, although purists may prefer to imbibe their wassail chunk-style.

When ready to serve, remove from heat and add spirits. Serve hot. If you are using a Crock Pot to keep the wassail hot, use the low setting to prevent alcohol from evaporating.

Lion House Wassail

In a large saucepan, combine sugar and water. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and add cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, cloves, and ginger. Cover and let stand in warm place for 1 hour.

Strain liquid into a large pot. Just before serving, add juices and cider and quickly bring to boil. Remove from heat and serve.

Makes 36 servings

Serving Tip: Use a ladle, and keep warm on the stove over a VERY VERY low heat.

Party Tip: For a large party, make three separate batches. Start the first a half-hour before the party. When that batch begins to get low, put on the second pot. Have the third assembled in the refrigerator and ready to go, if needed. Keep the apples, cloves inserted, and lemon slices separate until the last batch goes on the stove.

Cups for Cocoa

Cozy up to these charming hot chocolate mugs from Rosanna Bowles. With "hot chocolate" written seemingly of chocolate syrup across the ceramic in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and English, these mugs are perfect for every cup of cocoa or warm drink. Set of four.