Vanilla Cider Wassail is a fun addition to any party because it's warm, sweet, easy to make, and really pretty. It easily scales up, too!
Vanilla Cider Wassail
"What on earth is wassail?" you may be asking. Let me give you a little history lesson! Old English "wæs hæl" literally means "be you healthy." Wassail (or wassil) is traditionally a hot spiced cider that is sweetened and has other fruit juices added, and it was probably fermented and enjoyed as a hard cider back in the day.
Today, Wassail is generally a nonalcoholic hot beverage. Wassailing (you know, like the song "here we come a-wassailing") refers to a medieval ritual to celebrate the apple trees and to ward off evil spirits for next year's cider making. We can thank our English ancestors for this tasty drink. Wassail, in my personal experience, seems to be a much more Midwesterner thing. I've yet to meet someone in Utah who has ever heard of it, let alone loves it. Don't worry, they are quickly converted! My sister Sarah and I can thank our Hoosier upbringing though for our love of wassail.
Vanilla Cider Wassail
Ingredients
- 2 quarts apple cider (½ gallon)
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup Tate+Lyle® Vanilla Pure Cane Syrup
- 2 to 4 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)
- dash of ground cloves
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a large pot and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. When it starts to boil, cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve hot in mugs.
Notes
Store leftovers covered in the fridge and reheat before serving.
This recipe is easily multiplied if you are making cider wassail for a crowd, but it's not so big that you can't make it for your family one night and reheat the leftovers once. My kids even like cider wassail cold! This sweet and lightly spiced drink is sure to become a holiday tradition in your home in no time. We pressed about 50 gallons of cider a few weekends ago (from our own apples!), which means we'll have plenty for wassail making. Yay!
If you are a social media lover, here's where you can find more information about Tate+Lyle®: Email newsletter, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Click here to download a coupon for $1.50 off of Tate+Lyle® Gourmet Beverage Syrups! For a chance to win the $100 Walmart gift card simply leave a comment telling me which flavor you would like to try and what you might put it in! Sweepstakes Rules: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
-
-
-
-
-
- Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
-
-
-
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification e-mail will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher e-mail address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 12/2/14 – 12/31/14. Be sure to visit the Tate+Lyle® brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!
And a big thanks to YOU for supporting the companies I thoughtfully choose to support. You are the best!
Myra
Never heard of this drink before. Sounds taste! Pumpkin, love pumpkin flavored coffee and Hot chocolate or even mint for tea.
Tiffany Hoyt
The vanilla in hot chocolate sounds like it might be good. 🙂
Rajee Pandi
caramel should be great
heather c
Tweeted - https://twitter.com/ilovetoclap/status/550453692709609472
heather c
I would love to try the Zero Calorie Vanilla Gourmet Beverage Syrup. I'd pour it into my iced coffee.
lisagee1234
Which flavor you would like to try and what you might put it in!
Vanilla for coffee or hot cocoa.
Debbie B
i sent a tweet here: https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/550431259164282880
Debbie B
i would like to try the caramel in my hot chocolate!