“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.

Wassail is a fun addition to any party because it’s warm, sweet, easy to make, and really pretty. If your party guests or family are new to wassail, they’ll be in for a real treat. I used Tate+Lyle® Gourmet Beverage Syrups to add both sweetness and the vanilla flavor. This was an awesome addition to wassail. These syrups come in a few different flavors, and I’m excited to try more of them out. Tate+Lyle® is the perfect company to work with on this wassail recipe; both are old and English!

Tate+Lyle® is an English sugar company whose history goes back to the 1870s. Today, they sell many different Fairtrade Certified sugars (their Organic Turbinado Raw Cane Sugar is one of my favorite products. Not only is it excellent in baking, but it is also perfect for making homemade sugar scrubs). It’s a great company, and I’ve been really excited to work with and support them. Here’s another fun fact: Tate+Lyle® is really easy to find here in the US. They actually sell it at Walmart.

Keep reading – there’s a $100 gift card up for grabs, just in time for holiday shopping.

Vanilla Cider Wassail recipe the whole family will love

Craving more? Subscribe to Bless this Mess to get new recipes, meal plans, and a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! If you try this cider wassail, let me know what you think! Leave a comment, pin it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #blessthismesseat on Instagram. I love to see your kitchen skills in action!

Vanilla Cider Wassail

Author: Melissa Griffiths

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 quarts apple cider (1/2 gallon)
2 cups orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 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:

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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 [email protected] 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!

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