Wassail Recipe

Recipe makes 3 quarts

Whatcha need

• 4 apples, cored
• Brown sugar, as much as needed to fill the apples
• ½ cup water
• 2 oranges, halved
• 20 whole cloves
• 5 cups apple cider
• 48 ounces hard cider
• 1 cup brandy
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cinnamon sticks, more for garnish if desired

Whatcha Do

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
2. Core the apples until the seeds are removed, being careful not to go all the way through. A melon baller works well for this.
3. Lightly fill each apple with brown sugar. Don’t pack it—keep it loose and just filled to the top. Set the apples upright in a baking dish and pour the water into the bottom. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until a fork slips in easily but the apples are still holding their shape.
4. While the apples bake, stud the peel sides of the orange halves with whole cloves, about 5 per half.
5. Pour the apple cider, hard cider, and brandy into a large non-reactive pot— an enameled French or Dutch oven works especially well. Stir to combine.
6. Over medium-low heat, stir in the ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon sticks. Add the orange halves, cloves side down. If they flip, no harm done—the goal is simply to infuse the wassail with their fragrance. Simmer gently for 1 hour. Do not let it boil or it may evaporate or turn syrupy.
7. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cinnamon sticks and oranges; set aside.
8. Strain the wassail to remove stray clove and spice particles. If serving it in the cooking vessel, strain into another pot first, then pour back in.
9. Gently tip in the baked apples so their warm brown sugar mingles with the wassail and the hollowed cores fill with the spiced liquid. Stir softly. Add back the cinnamon sticks (or fresh ones) and the orange halves.
10. Serve warm in mugs or heat-tolerant punch glasses. A small piece of toast or a cinnamon stick on top is traditional and charming.
11. The baked apples are delicious to enjoy afterward—soft, fragrant, and full of wassail.

Notes

This recipe once included eggs, as was customary in old British wassail.  If you want to try it the historical way:

Separate 6 eggs.  Beat the yolks until light and airy.  Beat the whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold the yolks into the whites, then temper by slowly stirring in ½ cup warm wassail.  Add the mixture back into the main batch.

You can also play with other spirits—sherry, dark spiced rum, or pale ale all add their own character.