Sugar, spice and all things nice… who said mulled beverages are only reserved for Christmas?

An old Yuletide favourite in European countries, wassail is the perfect fix for South Africa’s chilly winters. And since there’s almost no point in brewing a small amount, it’s a great excuse to gather a bunch of friends for a cosy day indoors. 

Playing with fire

Wassail is essentially a spiced cider or mulled wine drunk during Christmas Eve celebrations. It is warmed with a concoction of sugar and spices. Both time and heat aid the process of infusing the flavours into the cider, but don’t boil it – this could denature the cider. 

To Your Health

Wassail takes its name from the traditional toast that accompanied it: was hál (Old English for ‘be you healthy’). In certain cider-producing regions, a ceremony of apple-tree wassailing developed, in which orchards were blessed and doused with the drink in the hope of a good harvest.

Basic Wassail

SERVES 10

INGREDIENTS
6 apples (try Fuji, Royal Gala or Golden Delicious)
1 cup brown sugar
6 × 340 ml bottles apple cider
2 cups Madeira wine or Calvados (optional)
12 whole cloves
2–4 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground allspice 
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Core all the apples and place in a large casserole dish.
3. Stuff the apples with the brown sugar and add ½ cup water to the dish. 
4. Bake for about 1 hour, until the applesare soft and caramelised.
5. Meanwhile, pour the apple cider and the Madeira wine or Calvados (if using) into a large, heavy-based pot. Add all the spices. (Ed’s note: Tying the whole spices in a piece of cheesecloth makes it easy to remove them before serving.) Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat.
6. Transfer the apples and their cooking liquid to the pot just before serving. Garnish with ground nutmeg and cinnamon sticks. 

Words: Lauren Shapiro | Photography: hsmimages.co.za, Greatstock/Stockfood