Ever since the first Christmas I can remember, I woke up to the warm smell of cinnamon, apple, cranberry, and orange simmering in the crock pot. It was a tradition that came from my grandparents (and perhaps their parents) of making a drink called wassail for holidays.
What is Wassail?
Wassail is a traditional German drink made with apple cider, citrus of some form, and winter herbs. It’s delicious, and will warm you up on a cold winter day! This year, I found a way to incorporate herbs into the recipe for some added health benefits.
Making wassail has now become a family tradition with my own family (as well as making gluvine, a spiced wine punch that my husband used to drink when he studied in Austria). They say that smell is closely tied to memory and the scent of this homemade wassail definitely brings back good memories for me, just as I hope it will for my children.
Check out some of my other favorite drink recipes here.
Herbal Wassail Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 organic oranges
- whole cloves
- ½ gallon apple cider
- 1 quart brewed tea made with 3 parts red raspberry leaf 2 parts alfalfa, 1 part nettle, and 1 part dandelion
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 2 cups cranberry juice
- 8 cinnamon sticks
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- small slice of fresh ginger root or a dash of ground ginger
Instructions
- Peel oranges, section, and put 1 clove in the middle of each section.
- Pour cider, tea, and juices into a large pot or reduce quantities and put in Crock-Pot.
- Add cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, ginger, and oranges.
- Heat one hour and serve. Can also be kept in crock pot all day.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ever made wassail? What’s your favorite holiday drink? Share below!
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