Christmas Eve Wassail

This wassail has so many good memories associated with it in our family.  Ann’s mom and dad served this in Grandma Doolittle’s samovar every Chrismas Eve as the family and friends began to gather before supper.  As Ann’s and Tony’s families blended, it was Tony’s mom’s great joy to find this English tradition already in place!  Though our kids are long past legal drinking age, they are still quick to point out that this wassail is just as good without the rum and that it needn’t be limited to Christmas!  It’s a great apre-ski beverage too!

 Yield:  1 gallon

1 gallon of unfiltered apple cider
2 oranges, sliced thinly into wheels and then quartered
2 lemons, sliced thinly into wheels and then quartered
2 green apples, cored, sliced into wheels and then quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
24 whole cloves
1 teaspoon allspice berries

Place into a large pot and bring to a boil on the stove.  Boil for 5 minutes and hold on low heat for one hour.  (At this point you can cool the wassail and store in the refrigerator to heat up later.) Ladle into cups, being sure to add some of the fruit to each cup.  If desired, add a generous dollop of dark or golden rum.  Yum! 


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