Wassail Recipe: Slow Cooker or Stove Top (Video) (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between mulled cider and wassail? ›

There are very few differences between mulled cider and Wassail Punch. Both contain spices and some juice. One of the main differences is that mulled wine is often made with whole oranges. However, Wassail is traditionally made with apple juice.

What is wassailing? The purpose is to encourage the spirits into ensuring a good harvest the following season. It takes place on the twelfth night after Christmas and involves a visit to a nearby orchard for singing, dancing, drinking and general merrymaking.

The expression later became part of the drinking formula "wassail ... drinkhail" which, the OED suggests, initially arose in England among the Anglo-Danes, and from there spread to the native population, being considered a specifically Anglo Saxon characteristic by the 12th century.

The tradition of wassailing (alt sp wasselling) falls into two distinct categories: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail.

A sweetened blend of black currant, apple, and lemon juices, with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and orange peel, Trader Joe's Winter Wassail is a fruit punch whose flavors and aromas evoke the holidays. You can serve it chilled, over ice with bourbon; or warmed, in a big mug, with a cinnamon stick garnish.

Because wassail is made with fruit juices and spices such as cinnamon and ginger, it can be soothing for a cold, and may even be helpful in easing congestion.

Wassailing: an ancient Pagan ritual conducted in deep mid-winter, to bless Apples trees for a bountiful harvest for the next season. The last time I wrote an article about Wassailing was in 2000 for CAMRA's Good Cider Guide, which was then edited by Dave Matthews.

Some traditions celebrated wassail on winter solstice while others celebrated on Christmas Eve; in the 8th Century, Beowulf wrote a poem heralding wassail on the 12th Night of Christmas, January 5th. Regardless of the date celebrated, wassail traditions have at least two things in common: Singing and drinking.

Orchard wassailing is an old English tradition where each year around January 17th (The Old Twelfth Night) people gather together to perform a ceremony in honor of the apple trees. The ceremony is meant to promote the health of the trees and to ensure a bountiful harvest in the coming season.

Wassail gets its name from the Old English term "waes hael", meaning "be well". It was a Saxon custom that, at the start of each year, the lord of the manor would shout 'waes hael'. The assembled crowd would reply 'drinc hael', meaning 'drink and be healthy'.

Are wassail and mulled wine the same? ›

Since mulled wine and wassail are traditionally homemade family recipes, past down by generations, and the drinks are not likely to be found on store shelves, the two beverages can be nearly identical, which is a spiced wine, ale, or liquor, blended with aromatic spices and often served warm.

Here's the difference between apple cider and apple juice: Apple cider is just unfiltered apple juice that can be served hot or cold. Mulled apple cider is unfiltered apple juice that's been heated and flavored with mulling spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; and fruits like oranges, lemons, and apples.

Wondering what the difference is between classic Apple Cider and Mulled Cider? Apple Cider is just raw unfiltered apple juice that is normally enjoyed as a cold drink without any additional flavorings. Mulled Cider uses Mulling spices and fruit to bring a new, spiced flavor with a hint of citrus to heated cider.