Virgin Wassail Bowl (no alcohol)

VIRGIN WASSAIL BOWL

- 1 cup brown sugar
- 12 whole cloves
- 2 Tbsp (or more) ground cinnamon
- 2 lemons, sliced thin
- 2 oranges, sliced thin
- 1 apple, sliced thin
- 1 gallon sweet cider
- 1 pint 7-Up or ginger ale

Make syrup of brown sugar and 1 cup water; add cloves and cinnamon.
Simmer for 10 minutes; add fruit. Simmer for 10 minutes longer with
cider; do not boil. Add 7-Up just before serving. Serve in mugs with
cinnamon stick. Yield: 20 servings.

Wassailing

We tend to think of "Wassailing" as the old English tradition of going from house-to-house at Christmas with a wassail bowl either offering a drink and expecting a gratuity in return, or simply expecting the bowl to be filled with drink.  This is accurate, but Wassailing was more than that. The term "wassail" comes from the Anglo-Saxon toast waes hael, which means "good health." The customary reply when such a kind wish was proffered upon one was to reply drinc heil, or "drink well." Equally important, however, was the time-honored tradition of wassailing the farm animals and fruit trees, the idea being that drinking to the health of the livestock or the crops would ensure bounteous production in the coming year.

There are many old Wassailing songs, among them the following verses which illustrate the practice of drinking a toast to the farm animals, as well as the jovial (and doubtless inebriated) going from house to house seeking a drink at Christmastide.

Wassail, Wassail

Wassail, Wassail, all over the town!
Our toast it is white, and our ale it is brown,
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee.

So here is to Cherry and to his right cheek,
Pray God send our master a good piece of beef,
And good piece of beef that may we all see;
With the wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee.

And here is to Dobbin and to his right eye,
Pray God send our master a good Christmas pie,
And good Christmas pie that may we all see;
With our wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee.

So here is to Broad May and her broad horn,
May God send our master a good crop of corn,
And a good crop of corn that may we all see;
With the wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee.

And here is to Fillpail and her left ear,
Pray God send our master a happy New Year,
And a happy New Year as e'er he did see;
With our wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee.

And here is to Colly and to her long tail,
Pray God send our master he never may fail,
A bowl of strong beer; I pray you draw near,
And our jolly wassail it's then you shall hear.

Come butler, come fill us a bowl of the best,
Then we hope that your soul in heaven may rest;
But if you do draw us a bowl of the small,
Then down shall go butler, bowl and all.

Then here's to the maid in the lily white smock,
Who tripped to the door and slipped back the lock!
Who tripped to the door and pulled back the pin,
For to let these jolly wassailers in.
- Anonymous

More Holiday Punch Recipes

Hot spiced Cranberry Punch (non-alcoholic)

• 4 cups cranberry juice


• Honey to taste


• Freshly grated nutmeg (substitute prepared if that's all you have)


• Cinnamon sticks

Heat cranberry juice, cloves and honey in a saucepan. Stir until honey dissolves and juice is hot. Season with nutmeg and serve in a mug (preferably clear) with a cinnamon stick.

The Apple Cinammon (easy non-alcoholic)

• 2 oz cranberry juice


• 4 oz chilled apple cider

Fill a wine goblet with ice. Add 2 oz. cranberry juice and 4 oz. chilled apple cider. Stir to mix. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Wassail Bowl (also known as "Lamb's Wool" - alcohol)

Note: You may, if you wish, omit the baked apples all together, and start at step 3. Or you may pick up a jar of spiced apple rings, and float those in the punchbowl, instead of the baked apples (Haggen may have spice apple rings - that's where I've found them in the past).

• 3 large cooking apples


• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar


• 4 cups apple cider


• 2 cups sherry (not cooking sherry - Harvey's Bristol Cream, or other)


• 1/4 cup granulated sugar


• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg


• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


• 3 to 4 slices of lemon

1.) Preheat oven to 350°

2.) Core apples and arrange in shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake until apples are tender (20 to 25 minutes). Set aside.

3.) Heat cider in a saucepan over low heat, bringing it slowly to a boil. Add sherry, sugar, spices and lemon slices. Stir until sugar dissolves; cover tightly and let stand over very low heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not boil again.

4.) Remove the lemon slices and pour into a punch bowl. Garnish with baked apples.

Makes 6 servings.

Those festive old drinks

Here are variety of links to recipes for festive Christmas drinks, some dating back centuries. Those marked with an (A) contain alcohol.

• How to make authentic Wassail (A)

• Potus Ypocras (A) (spiced wine with honey - scroll down for modern recipe)

• Hot mulled apple cider (the recipes for mulled cider are extremely diverse. I've chosen this one, because it can be made without alcohol, or with, by simply adding a half cup of brandy)

• Hot Buttered Rum (scaleable) (A) (Keep in mind that brandy or even whiskey can be substituted for rum, and a few drops of rum flavoring may be added for a non-alcohol version)

• Rum Punch(A)

• Peppermint Hot Chocolate (for a "happy" version, hold the peppermint oil and substitute peppermint Schnapps; for a "quick and dirty" version use instant cocoa, garnish with canned whipped cream and shaved bittersweet chocolate).