Wassail is just mulled cider, really. Everyone seems to have their own family recipe, and this one is mine, tweaked over time by us, of course.
1 gallon apple cider
1/2 gallon cranberry juice
12 ounce concentrated frozen orange juice
4 tea bags
1 cinnamon stick
1 chunk whole nutmeg
4 cardamom pods
3 cloves
3 allspice berries
1 inch piece of ginger, diced
I do it all in my smaller chili pot, let simmer for a few hours, the longer the better, of course. When it’s cold out, we’ll go through that in a couple of days.
At holiday time, I always make a double batch and leave it on an electric hot plate, right in the middle of all the food.
It’s especially nice with a bit of dark Bermuda rum, but what isn’t, really?