Name: Wassail (Spiced Apple Cider) · Cocktail recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 l Spiced Apple Cider; 250 ml Orange juice; 120 ml Brandy; 1 piece Apple (studded with whole cloves); 2 pieces Cinnamon Stick; 8 pieces Whole Cloves (studded into the apple); 1 teaspoon Allspice Berries; 0.25 teaspoons Nutmeg (freshly grated); Brown Sugar to taste; 4 orange slices

Drink type Servings

Measurement system

About measurement options

Metric (ml): Volumes are shown in millilitres or litres.
US (fl oz, cups and spoons): Uses US fluid ounces, cups and spoons. 1 US fl oz ≈ 29.57 ml.
Imperial (UK and Canada): The UK and Canada share the imperial fluid ounce. 1 imperial fl oz ≈ 28.41 ml. Small volumes are shown in ml.
Bar (parts and dashes): On CocktailFun, 1 part = 30 ml. Dashes stay as dashes. Very small volumes may be shown in ml.

Wassail (Spiced Apple Cider)

Description

Wassail is a traditional English holiday drink with origins stretching back over a thousand years. The term comes from the Old Norse ves heil and Old English wes hál, meaning “be healthy” or “be whole.” It was both a ceremonial toast and a warming drink enjoyed during midwinter festivals. By the Middle Ages, wassailing became a Christmas and Twelfth Night custom, where groups would go door-to-door singing and offering wassail in exchange for food or charity a forerunner of modern carolling.

The classic wassail bowl was filled with hot, spiced cider or ale, sometimes fortified with wine or brandy, flavoured with apples, oranges, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toasted bread floated on top to soak up the flavour, giving rise to the phrase “raising a toast.”

Today, wassail is most often made with apple cider gently mulled with spices, served steaming hot in mugs at Christmas markets and family gatherings. It captures the essence of winter festivity hearty, communal, and full of warmth.