A hot cup of homemade Wassail is one of my favorite holiday drinks. It’s a delicious hot cider drink that combines the flavors of orange and apple with cinnamon and spices .
What exactly is a wassail?
(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : an early English toast to someone’s health . 2 : a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, spices, sugar, and usually baked apples and is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime. 3 : riotous drinking : revelry.
What’s the difference between wassail and apple cider?
What’s The Difference Between Mulled Cider & Wassail? The short answer is NOTHING ! Both mulled cider and wassail refer to a spiced juice drink. While wassail is traditionally a warm spiced apple drink, other mulled ciders contain cranberry or other flavors.
Why do people in England drink wassail?
Down in the counties of South-West and South-East England a very old and special ceremony takes place in the apple orchards; the Wassail was a way to celebrate the end of Christmas and to bless the trees so that they will bear plenty of fruit for the cider. It was a time of celebration and merry-making.
Where does the drink wassail come from?
The term “wassail” can trace its origins to pre-Christian Britain . Anglo-Saxon tradition included a New Year celebration in the halls of the Lord of the Manor, including a mighty feast with a giant bowl of a sort of punch: a mix of cider, ale and mead infused with bountiful spices and crab apples.
Why is it called wassail?
The word ‘wassail’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase ‘waes hael’, which means ‘good health’ . ... The Wassail drink mixture was sometimes called ‘Lamb’s Wool’, because of the pulp of the roasted apples looked all frothy and a bit like Lambs Wool! Here is a recipe for wassail.
Is wassail German?
What is Wassail? Wassail is a traditional German drink made with apple cider, citrus of some form, and winter herbs.
What happens at a wassail?
Wassailing is an annual tradition which involves blessing orchards to ensure a good harvest for the year to come . The celebrations involve music, song, dancing and a recognition of what orchards give to us.
Is wassailing a pagan?
Wassailing is a Twelfth Night tradition that has been practised in Britain for centuries. It has its roots in a pagan custom of visiting orchards to sing to the trees and spirits in the hope of ensuring a good harvest the following season.
Does wassail go bad?
Wassail keeps well for 4-5 days .
What date is wassail day?
The Wassailing celebrations generally take place on the Twelfth Night, 5th January , however the more traditional still insist in celebrating it on ‘Old Twelvey’, or the 17th January, the correct date; that is before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar messed things up in 1752.
Can wassail be left out overnight?
You can also keep this drink on a cold burner overnight and reheat it up in the morning. You can keep heating and reheating this wassail until it’s all gone ! Here’s to a happy holiday season, now an even happier one because of the favorite Christmas wassail!
What English tradition is caroling based on?
Caroling is an oral tradition , passed down from generation to generation. Carols commemorating the nativity, or birth of Jesus Christ, were purportedly first written in Latin in the 4th and 5th centuries, but they didn’t become associated with Christmas until the 13th century.
What is wassail Eve?
Wassailing is the background practice against which an English carol such as “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” can be made sense of. The carol lies in the English tradition where wealthy people of the community gave Christmas treats to the carolers on Christmas Eve such as ‘figgy puddings’.
Does wassail contain alcohol?
Wassail, (pronounced ‘wah-sul’) is an old English mulled hot drink with mixed fruit juices, spices and usually some alcohol . A ‘mulled’ drink is heated with spices and sometimes sugar. It’s served for autumn or winter. This recipe is a non-alcoholic Wassail recipe but certainly can be spiked with liquor if desired!
How long is wassail good for?
This hot cider wassail can last in the fridge for 4 to 5 days , that is, if you don’t end up drinking it all.
