A-Wassailing We Will Go

A wassail (yes, from the carol "Here We Come A-Wassailing") is actually a hot alcoholic punch spiced with combinations of apples, oranges, lemons, cloves and cinnamon.

The holiday concoction will fill your home with a lovely aroma, warm you through and through and, when consumed in proper amounts, bring you good cheer.  

Wassailing, an ancient English custom, is a cross between trick-or-treating and caroling, according to lore. Instead of ringing the doorbell and yelling, "trick or treat," participants sing wassail songs that beg for food.

These tunes date back to the Middle Ages when the expression "waes hail," meaning "to your health," was used while handing off a bowl of brew, wrote researcher Joseph Walsh in the book Were They Wise Men or Kings? The Book of Christmas Questions. 

The recipient would respond with "drinc hail," meaning "drink to your health," and the word "wassail" evolved.

Like many holiday recipes, this one has permutations. I have provided you with two below—one for those who like wine drinks and the other for those who prefer harder liquor.

Colonial Wassail (from The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook)

1 cup sugar

4 cinnamon sticks

3 lemon slices

1/2 cup water

2 cups pineapple juice

2 cups orange juice

6 cups dry red wine

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 cup dry sherry

2 lemons, sliced, for garnish

Boil the sugar, cinnamon sticks and lemon slices in one-half cup of water for five minutes and strain. Remove the cinnamon sticks and lemon slices. 

In a separate pot, combine the remaining ingredients and heat them, but do not boil. Add the sugar syrup, garnish with the lemon slices, and serve hot. 

Hard Wassail

1 gallon apple cider

3 small oranges

1 tablespoon whole cloves

6 - 10 cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup vodka and 1/2 cup brandy  (or 1 cup rum and 1/4 cup light-brown sugar)

Stud the oranges with the whole cloves. Mix all the ingredients (except the alcohol) in a large pot and simmer until fragrant, about 10 minutes.  

Add the alcohol and heat again. Strain and pour into a punch bowl and float the oranges. Serve hot, garnished with a cinnamon stick.