Wassail

4.9
(8)

Make wassail with your favorite apple cider, fruit juices, and spices this Christmas for a delicious and warming drink that's sure to impress your holiday guests!

a low angle view of three clear mugs of grandma's wassail garnished with an apple slice and a cinnamon stick
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Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
25 mins
Servings:
36

With this wassail recipe, you can celebrate the Yuletide season in the most traditional (and delicious) way.

What Is Wassail?

Wassail is a hot mulled cider with Nordic roots. It's traditionally enjoyed during wassailing, which is the ancient Yuletide practice of singing door-to-door. The ritual began as a way to ensure a good cider apple harvest for the following year and it persists today (in the form of caroling).

Wassail Ingredients

You'll need just four ingredients to make this top-rated wassail recipe:

  • Apple cider: This wassail starts with store-bought apple cider, homemade apple cider, or hard apple cider.
  • Fruit juices: You'll need orange juice, lemon juice, and pineapple juice.
  • Sugar: A cup of white sugar sweetens things up.
  • Spices: This cozy wassail recipe is spiced with a cinnamon stick and whole cloves.

How to Make Wassail

1. Stir the apple cider, juices, and sugar in a pot over medium-low heat.
2. Place the spices in a tea ball and add it to the apple cider mixture.
3. Simmer until warm.

Recipe Tip

If you don't have a tea ball, place the spice mixture on a small piece of cheesecloth and tie it with a string, forming a small pouch.

The Best Alcohol for Wassail

Easily make this wassail alcoholic by substituting hard apple cider in place of non-alcoholic cider. You can also make the wassail according to the recipe, but spike it with rum, vodka, or whiskey. Do whatever appeals to you!

If you do spike this wassail, though, make sure to keep the mixture at a simmer and not a boil. Otherwise, you'll cook all the alcohol out.

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 36 servings

  • 2 gallons apple cider

  • 2 cups fresh orange juice

  • 1 cup white sugar

  • 1 cup lemon juice

  • 1 cup pineapple juice

  • 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

    Overhead shot of measured ingredients gathered for wassail

    Allrecipes/Madhumita Sathishkumar

  2. Stir apple cider, orange juice, sugar, lemon juice, and pineapple juice together in a large pot over medium-low heat.

    Overhead shot of a large pot with cider and other ingredients cooking for wassail

    Allrecipes/Madhumita Sathishkumar

  3. Place cinnamon and cloves in a tea ball and add to apple cider mixture; simmer until warmed through, about 15 minutes.

    Overhead shot of a large pot with cider with a tea ball with spices to make wassail

    Allrecipes/Madhumita Sathishkumar

  4. Serve from the pot with a large ladle.

    Overhead shot of a pot of wassail being ladled into mugs to serve

    Allrecipes/Madhumita Sathishkumar

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

151 Calories
38g Carbs
0g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 36
Calories 151
% Daily Value *
Sodium 25mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 33g
Protein 0g 0%
Vitamin C 11mg 12%
Calcium 4mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 45mg 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.