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Beverage
Cookbooks Cookbook Reviews "Wassail - liquor made of apples, sugar, and ale; a drunken bout; a merry song." Samuel Johnson’s dictionary, 1756 Although we would never encourage any over indulgence of alcohol, a “wee nip” on special occasions is perfectly acceptable as is reading the history of such things. Enjoy,
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The word wassail is from the Anglo-Saxon “waes hae,“ meaning “be hale or be well.“ There are three medieval English customs of wassailing whereby good health, prosperous crops and healthy animals are wished for one and all with the aid of this spiced apple drink.
Often a bowl trimmed with rosemary and ribbons was carried by young girls as they sang carols at Christmas and New Year’s, too. When the bowl was originally passed from one to another, it was done with a kiss, thus resulting in the wassail bowl being called a loving cup. Today, loving cups with multiple handles are filled with wassail. Full of holiday spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, true wassail has to have lamb’s wool as an ingredient. (Not the fuzzy stuff that might get caught in your teeth.) In this case, lamb’s wool is pulp from the roasted apples that floats on the surface of the wassail. Sometimes toasted bread is placed atop the hot liquid. This is the origin of the words, “May I propose a toast?” Could the reason wassail was sometimes referred to as a “winter warmer” be due to the fact that the combination of apples and sherry, rum, port or ale heated the body from the inside out? And speaking of heating, wassail should always be served hot, although not too hot. If scalded, the alcohol will evaporate, which would lessen, somewhat, the liquid cheer within, defeating its purpose! In any case, brew a batch of wassail (with alcohol or without) from one of the following recipes below, then offer the ancient toast: “Was hail!” Reply: “Drink hail.” And don’t forget to sing the carol below.
Assemble
Heat the cranberry juice, water, grape juice, orange juice and sugar together until boiling. Remove from the heat. Let the mixture sit for ten minutes to cool a bit. Add the rum. Garnish with apple slices. Serve warm.
Assemble:
Combine all ingredients but sherry on the stove in a large pot. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out spices, letting the mixture cool for a few minutes. Add the sherry and serve warm.
Assemble:
Place sugar and vinegar in a slow cooker. Tie the allspice and cloves in a small bundle of cheesecloth or muslin or put them into a tea ball. (If the spices are used loose, pour wassail through a strainer before serving.) Add the cinnamon sticks and other spices to the slow cooker. Cook on low for three to six hours. Serve warm.
Assemble
Boil the apple cider and water in a large saucepan. Add the teabags and steep for 10 minutes, covered. Remove the bags and add the rest of the ingredients except the garnish. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Pour the wassail through a sieve before serving. Garnish with orange or apple slices and serve warm. .
Here we come a-wassailing, Among the leaves so green, Here we come a wand’ring, So fair to be seen.
Chorus: Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail, too. And God bless you and send you a happy new year, And God send you a happy new year.
We are not daily beggars Who beg from door to door, But we are neighbor’s children Whom you have seen before.
Repeat Chorus
We have a little purse Made of ratching leather skin; We want some of your small change To line it well within.
Repeat Chorus
God bless the Master of this house, Likewise the Mistress, too; And all the little children That round the table go. . |
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