Post by robincragin on Nov 10, 2015 11:35:03 GMT -5
Making wassail is a favorite Yuletide pagan custom. This traditionally spiced ale (or mulled wine) filled with magical solar herbs has its origins in Saxon history. The word “wassail” was a salutation for the ancient Saxons. It literally meant “be in good health.” By the twelfth century, the Danes had introduced the term to the Britons used the word in reference to the drink in which the toast was offered. The magical spices and herbs that infuse the wassail invoke the energies of the sun in anyone who drinks it.
Christmas Eve and Twelfth Night (another winter holiday) became the traditional times that celebrants would drink wassail. One twelfth-night tradition involved invoking the gods to bless the apple trees that would bear the crop from which next year’s cider would be made. Ancient celebrants would invoke the solar deities by soaking small pieces of bread in cider and placing them around the apple trees. They would then sing special wassailing songs that would encourage the tree to bear fruit.
What You’ll Need:
* 2 pints brown ale
* 1/2 pint dry sherry (or dry white wine)
* 3 ounces sugar
* 3-4 apples
* 1/2 lemon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat your oven to 350* F (180*C). Wash, peel and core the apples. Place the apples, sugar, and 4 tablespoons of the brown ale into a glass baking dish or heat-resistant bowl and bake this together for 25-30 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Peel the lemon rind, removing only the bright outer layer. Remove the apples and their collected juices from the oven and set aside. On top of the stove, set out a large pot, and add to it the remaining ale, sherry or wine, lemon peel, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Mix this together and simmer gently over a low flame for 10-15 minutes. Add the apples and juices and serve immediately.
*** A Word to the Wise: If you are planning your own Yule gathering and intend to serve wassail, it is always a considerate gesture to offer guests a non-enabling beverage. ***
Non-alcoholic Wassail
What You’ll Need:
* 1 gallon apple cider
* 1/2 gallon orange juice
* 1 pint cranberry juice
* 4 cinnamon sticks
* 24 allspice berries
* 36 cloves
* 1 large orange
* 1 cup brown sugar
Press cloves into the orange. Combine all ingredients in a pot and boil it over high heat for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Christmas Eve and Twelfth Night (another winter holiday) became the traditional times that celebrants would drink wassail. One twelfth-night tradition involved invoking the gods to bless the apple trees that would bear the crop from which next year’s cider would be made. Ancient celebrants would invoke the solar deities by soaking small pieces of bread in cider and placing them around the apple trees. They would then sing special wassailing songs that would encourage the tree to bear fruit.
What You’ll Need:
* 2 pints brown ale
* 1/2 pint dry sherry (or dry white wine)
* 3 ounces sugar
* 3-4 apples
* 1/2 lemon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat your oven to 350* F (180*C). Wash, peel and core the apples. Place the apples, sugar, and 4 tablespoons of the brown ale into a glass baking dish or heat-resistant bowl and bake this together for 25-30 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Peel the lemon rind, removing only the bright outer layer. Remove the apples and their collected juices from the oven and set aside. On top of the stove, set out a large pot, and add to it the remaining ale, sherry or wine, lemon peel, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Mix this together and simmer gently over a low flame for 10-15 minutes. Add the apples and juices and serve immediately.
*** A Word to the Wise: If you are planning your own Yule gathering and intend to serve wassail, it is always a considerate gesture to offer guests a non-enabling beverage. ***
Non-alcoholic Wassail
What You’ll Need:
* 1 gallon apple cider
* 1/2 gallon orange juice
* 1 pint cranberry juice
* 4 cinnamon sticks
* 24 allspice berries
* 36 cloves
* 1 large orange
* 1 cup brown sugar
Press cloves into the orange. Combine all ingredients in a pot and boil it over high heat for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
I am hosting two Yule events / classes and will be making Wassail for both.