Homemade Wassail
Learn how to make wassail cocktails with real apple cider, ginger, lemon, spices and, of course, bourbon. Wassails are perfect for warming up on cold days! Recipe yields 4 to 6 cocktails, depending on how much of the warm cider mixture you use per drink.
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple cider (or unfiltered apple juice, doctored up with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice)
- ½ inch nub of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely minced
- 2 lemons, sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise (optional, but they’re pretty!)
- ½ vanilla bean, slit down the middle with the insides scooped out (or ¼ ounce vanilla extract)
- Bourbon (plan on about 1 ½ ounces per drink. I used Jim Beam)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine all of the nonalcoholic ingredients and simmer for at least thirty minutes, preferably over an hour.
- Use a jigger or shot glass to measure bourbon into mugs. Pour in your hot spiced cider. Ideas for garnishing: cinnamon sticks, star anise, lemon slices and/or thinly sliced red apple (highly recommended).
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Seasonal Cocktail Companion by Maggie Savarino.
Change it up: Substitute some of the cider for brown ale or real cranberry juice. Add other whole spices like cloves, allspice berries and/or white peppercorns. You can keep a big batch of cider warm in a crock pot!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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