"Here we come a-wassailin'..."

Before our Christmas party I did a long hard search for the perfect wassail recipe.  Well, I'm not sure I came up with the best, but I did find a delicious recipe for Christmas wassail.*  I served it to our party guests, I served it to my family, I served it to dinner guests, and I watched as every drop was drained from the pot each time.

Since then this wonderful wassail has become my drink of the winter.  I make a new pot every week, store it back in the cider jug in our fridge, and heat up a mug or two for myself each day.  It's a satisfying, spicy drink that I can tote around our house throughout these chilly winter days, sipping on it as I play with Lena or knit and read or work on a blog post.

Would you like to learn how to make it?  Well then, I took some photos of the process just for you!

First start with a gallon of apple cider.

 

Then add a quart (4 cups) pineapple juice.  {This 2-quart can is the least expensive way to buy it, so I just store the remaining quart in my fridge for next week's batch.} 

 

And now my favorite part: half a can of frozen OJ concentrate.  {Again, you only need 6 oz, so I buy the cheapest 12 oz size, squeeze out half of it, and refreeze the remainder for the next batch.} 

Toss in 8 cinnamon sticks.

 

And 27 whole cloves.  Note: I don't know where the original recipe came up with 27 cloves.  I just count out about 30 and toss 'em in.  Tastes the same, as far as I can tell.  Please do let me know if the three extra cloves make a big difference to you.

 

And that's it for ingredients!  I let it simmer on the stove for a couple of hours and savor the spicy-sweet aroma  filling our house.  After your wassail is sufficiently brewed, pour a steaming cup into your favorite mug!  Sip it and savor it, perhaps while enjoying some fresh strawberries from your local market.  Mmmm...

 

*Christmas Wassail

(makes about 20 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

1 gallon apple cider
27 whole cloves
8 cinnamon sticks
1 quart pineapple juice
1 can (6 ounce size) frozen orange juice concentrate

PREPARATION:

Mix all ingredients in a large crockpot and simmer for about 8 hours, or brew on the stove for about 2 hours. Serve hot.