What's a Wassail 2: Electric Boogaloo
Here we come a wassailing to get really witchy in the apple orchard.
One of Caroline’s topic suggestions hit on one of my favorite holiday traditions: festive sips! Specifically, they asked about wassail and eggnog, which I touched on last year (with accompanying playlist!)
But, like… of course there’s more to say! I just love the stuff. There’s something magical to me about food that is more or less tied to a particular event or time of year.
Wassail This
Next crowne the bowle full of
With gentle Lambs wooll,
Adde sugar, nutmeg, and ginger,
With store of ale too,
And thus ye must doe
To make the Wassaile a swinger
From Oxford Night Caps, by Richard Cook, Published 1835
Last year I mentioned that because it’s a traditional drink, there’s not really a set recipe for wassail, aside from including apples and spices. In cider-producing parts of England, wassailing meant singing, dancing and drinking a toast to the health of the orchards on Twelfth Night. A wassail king or queen led the town procession to the grove, where they would hang bread soaked in the wassail in the trees to show its spirits the fruits of the past harvest. (They also used to fire off their shotguns, like any truly excellent hoedown.)
Lambswool was a variety of wassail that was made by pouring mulled ale over hot apple puree, cooked apple slices or even whole apples. Some theorize that the name came from the drink’s appearance (applesauce looks kind of wooly in a big wassail bowl), but others speculate it was a corruption of Lamas Ubhal, an Irish pagan festival during which the drink might be enjoyed (but which would’ve been held earlier in the year.)
Here’s a recipe from the Tudor Society. Here’s another with a beautiful post and some truly #aestheticgoals photos.
If you can’t imagine slugging down a cup of applesauce, just mull some apple cider. If you want an alcoholic drink, feel free to start with equal parts hard cider and… uh… soft? cider. Wine, ale, applejack, bourbon and rum are all common options. If you don’t want an alcoholic wassail, ginger beer, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice are great ways to give your punch some… well, punch.
Eggnoggalong
With its roots in traditional English possets and milk punches, eggnog was pretty popular in the American colonies in the 1700s. Because eggnog could be served warm or cold – and with the toasty, cozy spices most recipes called for – it was just a natural fit for the winter months. While we’re not quite sure how it became so synonymous with the holidays, 19th century accounts of the stuff pretty much only ever mention drinking it on Christmas morning.
Milk punch was a favorite of Queen Victoria, and the drink’s association with Christmas was probably cemented by that association: Vic and Al popularized the Christmas tree. She had an official purveyor of milk punch for the palace. (It’s an interesting drink. If you’re into, like, watching milk curdle right in front of you.) At any rate, her love of the drink undoubtedly boosted the popularity of similar sips… such as eggnog!
A simpler explanation of why it’s limited to the holiday season might be that it can be a bit fussy to make. Many people like to age their eggnog, and that’s a lot of delayed gratification for a drink that miiiiiight end up spoiling completely. Warmed eggnog – that is, boiled custard – can easily “break” while cooking.
George Washington’s (super boozy) recipe:
One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/2 pint rye whiskey, 1/2 pint Jamaica rum, 1/4 pint sherry—mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.
Was it actually his recipe? Probably not! But it’s a nice thought. Max Miller has a great episode of Tasting History on the subject with even more context and discussion.
What's a Wassail 2: Electric Boogaloo
D'oh, I'm sorry I asked about things you touched on last year -- I'm excited to read this one though and thanks for answering my questions!!!