Wassail
ClassicThe old English toast: warm cider, ale, and baked apple.
Warm, malty, and orchard-sweet. Apple cider and ale make a gently tart, bready base, brandy adds warmth, and honey and baking spice round it into something festive. Soft and low-proof — a communal winter drink, made for a crowd and a carol.
Ingredients
- 3 oz Apple Cider
- 2 oz Ale
- 0.5 oz Brandy
- 0.5 oz Honey Syrup
- 2 Clove
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- Apple · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Combine the apple cider, ale, brandy, and honey syrup in a saucepan with the cloves and cinnamon.
- 2
Warm gently over low heat — never boil.
- 3
Keep just below a simmer for a few minutes to let the spices infuse.
- 4
Strain into a warmed mug and garnish with a roasted apple slice and a cinnamon stick.
The Story
Wassail is one of the oldest drinks in the English language — its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon "wæs hæl," "be in good health," the toast that gave the drink its purpose. Medieval revellers carried the steaming, spiced bowl of ale, cider, and baked apples door to door at midwinter, singing for their share. It is the ancestor of caroling, and of the whole idea of a shared winter cup.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
