I fight scurvy
Americans sure do love their wassail, can’t get enough of it. Oh wait, we said wassail not waffles. Well the drink has been slower to catch on, was probably around the height of its popularity during the revolution when pirates used it to fight off the cold and scurvy while they were stuck behind the Scottish brigade. True story: Those same pirates wrote our national anthem when they awoke to find our flag was still there.*
Well enough history from Rufus. If you want the real story behind wassail check out the Nourished Kitchen. Her traditional recipe, which we used as a guideline for ours, has a great write up to go with it and her photos are beautiful. Her recipe calls for hard cider and explains how to use toast as well, a step we skipped.
Wassail (adapted from the Nourished Kitchen)
- 2 small apples
- about 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 medium orange
- 10 whole cloves
- 4 cups apple cider
- 1 cup brandy
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 large eggs (separated)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Core the apples without fully penetrating the apple. Fill each apple with brown sugar. Stud the orange with the cloves. Roast the fruit for about 40 minutes. The apple will be very tender. While the fruit is cooking, heat cider and brandy with cinnamon sticks, but do not allow to boil. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks. Beat the yolks until lemon colored. Using a spatula, mix the two together then add a cup of the hot cider. Pour cider into a punch bowl, top with the egg mix and float the fruit. Dust the top with grated nutmeg.
*All due apologies to Francis Scott Key who was most certainly not a pirate.
For your holiday enjoyment:
I’ll admit, I’ve actually never heard of one, but it sounds delicious!
Definitely a classic!
I’ve heard of wassail but never read a recipe for it. Well, the only thing I heard about it was from Daphne Moon on “Frasier”, Christmas “punch would make you want to kiss the donkey in the manger scene and wassail makes you want to check into the inn.”
I always thought of wassailing as an annoyingly invasive form of group singing – now, I realise it’s also a way of getting legless. Excellent.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for you both. Thank you, love, nia
I like that you have a recipe for wassail. I just have a mix that I received as a gift that I have yet to open.
Never saw the recipe before – very cool!
Though, if one actually “Went a-Wassailing,” while drinking it, they’d all wind up face down in the snow…
haha–you had me going there with the pirates. Wassail brings an interesting slant to history.
It’s very important to go out and wassail the trees if you want a good crop of apples next year
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassail
Waay cool wassail! Err, way hot wassail! I need a remedy for my scurvy, and this sounds tasty!
Have been a bit absent of the blogosphere, but browsing your recent concoctions I must say I would love to see a photo of your liquor cabinet! You guys have an impressive collection of stuff, pretty amazing indeed!
this drink sounds awesome, by the way…
Have never tried Wassail but now think we should! And I went off to visit the Nourished Kitchen on your recommendation and loved it too. Thanks for both!
That pooch sure has a high pitch voice! It was quite unexpected and hilarious!
This drink sounds nourishing and intoxicating at the same time. A perfect combination!
Singing dogs rule!
I’d actually never heard of this drink before, but looking at the recipe, I’d definitely be a fan. So festive!
Was about to have a fit that FSK was a pirate but then saw the asterisk. Phew!
I’ll definitely try this out, I normally just have cold cider, but there’s something appealing about hot cider in winter. It probably smells like Christmas!
We would never really sully the name of FSK!
Haha good, that’s Maryland pride and honor at stake!
Happy holidays
You know it! We are both from that great state. Just in case we forgot to remind you before.
I remember! I just drove by the harbor the other day. This year was the 200th anniversary of the start of the war. Unfortunately I missed out seeing the reproduction ships in the bay due to work and now that it’s winter they’ve all left.
This sounds good and fruity
I’ve never heard of a wassail before. Now this is a drink I can take caroling!