Wassail

I had never tasted wassail until I married my husband.  Until a couple of years ago it was just something you sing about in Christmas carols.  He on the other hand grew up drinking it every holiday season.  And for our family now it is always the first thing we do to kick off the holidays, make wassail and listen to holiday music.  My husband loves to make this so he gets all the credit for this recipe, and thanks for the pictures!!

Beware this makes A LOT so pull out your biggest stock pot for this.

1 gallon apple cider

1 lg can pineapple juice

2 -12 oz cans frozen orange juice

2 -12 oz cans frozen lemonade

2 quarts water

2 cups sugar (add more for sweetness)

3 cinnamon sticks

1 Tbs whole cloves

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the flavors come together.  Do not leave on high heat and walk away because it will boil over easily and then you have a huge sticky mess all over your stove. 

The water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves can all be adapted to your liking.  The recipe I shared is the measurements that we used in this batch.  If you like it sweeter add more sugar.  If you get it too sweet add more water.  If you like it spicier add more cinnamon sticks and cloves. 

*Put the cloves in something like cheese cloth that you can fish out later.  You can poke them into an orange rind also and pull out later. 

This is great for large gatherings, or to sip on all through the holiday season or you can freeze it in jugs and reheat it as needed.