It is a holiday family tradition of ours to make a big pot of Wassail on Christmas Eve. My mom usually makes it in the late morning and then we sip sip sip on in all day and then through Christmas Eve and the next morning.
I love the way that it makes the house smell, spices of Christmas and citrus fruit. The warmth after being out shoveling snow or sipping while doing a puzzle in front of the fire. I have a lot of memories associated with it, but I also think it is pretty delicious.
But the thing about making Wassail, is that it takes a crowd to drink it. Lots of different flavors of juice and even adding just a little bit adds up quickly, and then you have bottles and bottles of half drank juice in your fridge. It isn't really a beverage for one... Until Now!
I certainly don't take credit for "inventing" this, but I do really like it, and that means I want to share.
If you make some, it can make a great gift to take to friends or neighbors. It keeps for quite a while in a lidded jar (or plastic zip bag) in your pantry - for whenever those rainy / snow days are making you feel all cold and chilly.
Homemade Wassail Mix
Serves: makes 3 cups of mix
Ingredients
2 cups Tang
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp Country Time Lemonade mix (or 1 3oz pre-sweetened Lemonade Kool-aid mix)
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix.
To make one cup of Wassail, add 2-3 tsp of mix to 1 cup of hot water.
This mix dissolves really easily in water, so it is a good choice for little ones that want something warm to drink, but are much too little for something "hot".
If you would like, test out adding less sugar, or even adding a sweetener substitute.
This is a big one for me, so I don't mess with tradition. I'll save the health points for something else.
