To celebrate the solstice yesterday, and to warm us up from our snow trek earlier, we made my Holiday Wassail recipe. Wassail is a delicious, sweet, fruity, and spiced hot beverage enjoyed around the holidays. It usually includes a base of ale or cider (from its early apple origins), but often includes citrus, cranberries, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Some traditions celebrated wassail on winter solstice while others celebrated on Christmas Eve.
Wassail has been a yuletide tradition across England since at least the 5th Century. The earliest form of wassailing involved villagers going to orchards in the winter, shouting to ward off evil spirits, and pouring wassail (a spiced ale or cider) on the roots of the oldest apple tree to ensure a good harvest.
The term “wassail” comes from the Anglo-Saxon toast “wæs hæil,” meaning “be in good health”. The response was “drinc hæil,” or “drink and be healthy”.
The practice was later adapted to Christianity in the Middle Ages. Wassailing became a Christmas or Twelfth Night custom where people would go to the homes of their lords, singing and offering blessings in exchange for food and drink.
By the Tudor and later periods, the practice evolved into people going from house to house singing songs while carrying a large kettle or bowl, creating a communal drink from whatever was contributed. This was the early precursor to modern Christmas caroling.
Lil Urban Farm’s Holiday Wassail
TIME:
35 min
|
SERVES:
8-10 people
HARVEST:
Apples, oranges, cranberries, a lemon
| INGREDIENTS |
|---|
| 1/2 gallon of apple cider |
| 2 cups water |
| 1 lemon, juiced |
| 1/4 cup brown sugar |
| 2 oranges (juice one, discarding the peels, and slice the other in half to float in the simmering mixture) |
| 16 cloves, pushed into the orange in a fun design |
| 1 apple, sliced |
| 1/2 cup cranberries |
| 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced |
| 2 cinnamon sticks |
| 1 star anise |
| Dash of nutmeg |
DIRECTIONS:
- In a large stock pan on the stove, combine the cider, water, lemon juice, squeezed orange juice, and brown sugar over low-medium heat (no boil).
- Take the full orange that was cut it in half and insert the 16 cloves evenly into the outer skin in a pretty design (this makes them easy to remove before serving and looks festive).
- Add the orange halves and cloves to the pot, and then add sliced apples, cranberries, ginger, cinnamon sticks, star of anise, and a dash of nutmeg.
- Simmer everything on low-medium heat for 20-30 minutes. It is ready to serve when the cranberries have popped.
- Serve in heat-safe mugs with a slice of apple or orange floating on top with a stick on cinnamon.
