These are medieval recipes that were collected by Stefan’s Florilegium, a now-defunct site, but back for a few decades Stefan was a great online collector of medieval knowledge before he passed away.

I made Wassail #1 below for a Yule Party and it was a hit — though be warned that if you use hard cider or ale, the alcohol will cook out if you’re not careful. If you have a slow cooker with a “warm” setting, this is a good way to heat the alcohol without losing too much of it. If all else fails, you can always add a bit of brandy at the end.

When you drink it, be sure to give a toast to Stefan, Madeleine Pelner Cosman, Lorna Sass, and the many generations of wassailers from the past who would wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Wassail #1

This is from “Medieval Holidays and Festivals” by Madeleine Pelner Cosman, who claims the apple cider listed can be substituted by hard apple cider, dry white wine, light ale or stout beer. If you want to make it with a gallon of store-bought ale, stout, or hard cider, there are 128 ounces in a quart. For 12-ounce bottles this works out to be 10.5 bottles.

1 gallon apple cider
12 small apples, peeled with cores removed
1/2 cup sugar, if cider is tart.       
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 tablespoons brown sugar

In a large enameled pot, slowly heat 3/4 of the cider until warm but not boiling. In another enameled pot, pour remaining cider and add the apples, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger and bring to a boil. Vigorously simmer the apples until they lose their shape and become “frothy.” Combine the two liquids and pour into a heat-proof bowl.

Whip the cream with the salt and brown sugar until it peaks. Spoon the cream onto the wassail, or add the cream to each tankard as it is served.

Wassail #2

Stefan credits this to “Christmas Feasts”, by Lorna Sass, a noted food historian. She gives the original recipe from Robert Herrick (1591-1674):

“Next crowne the bowle full
With gentle lamb’s wooll;
Adde sugar, nutmeg and ginger’
With store of ale too;
And thus ye must doe
To make a Wassaile a swinger.”

1 1/2 pounds apples, cored
1 quart ale
1 tablespoon (or more) sugar
1/8 teaspoon each, ground ginger and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the apples in a large dish for 45 minutes, or until they burst. Set aside to cool.

When the apples are cool enough to handle, remove the peel and mash the pulp. You should have about 1 1/2 cups.

In a large pot, heat the ale. With a whisk, blend the apple pulp, sugar, and spices. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Place the mixture in a heat-proof bowl and sprinkle the top with some additional nutmeg.