Ready or not, the holidays upon us! Thanksgiving is this week and gift-giving holidays are staring us in the face. Here is an easy way to prepare a classic wassail punch (which is a fancy way to say spiced cider) that will impress your guests, while warming hands, tummies, and spirits. Best of all? It almost prepares itself! Giving you plenty of time to get dressed in your holiday finest, or just hang on the sofa with pals until your delicious beverage is ready.
If you’re feeling analog or, like me, just prefer to keep your phone away from the kitchen, skip to the recipe below where you can print this out, or pin it for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- ½ gallon of apple cider
- 1 large apple (I used Fuji, my favourite)
- 1 Bosch pear
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp whole cloves (about 10 cloves)
- Fresh grated nutmeg (optional, but amazing!)
- A large crock pot
🍷 Gather all of your ingredients together, and set your crock pot to Low.
🍷 Pour in your cider and let it begin to simmer while you prepare the fruit.
🍷 Slice your apples width-wise straight through the core. If you can see the ‘star’ in the center you’ve got it right.
🍷 Measure out your spices directly into the pot. A little spill won’t ruin the mix.
🍷 Let the cider and spices simmer to perfection over 2-4 hours. Take a long bath, trim the tree, start a movie marathon, or prepare the house, and your gorgeous self for guests!
🍷 If you’d like to serve this spiked, add your bourbon – we recommend Bulleit, about 30 minutes before guests arrive, to give all the flavors time to mingle and mellow into perfect harmony. (8oz of bourbon is 1oz per 8oz serving of wassail)
🍷 When ready, ladle into mugs and enjoy with good company! Actually going a-wassailing is of course, optional.
Hot Apple Cider
A classic wassail punch that will impress your guests, while warming hands, tummies, and spirits.
- Crock Pot or Instant Pot
- Sharp knife
- Measuring Spoons
- 1/2 gallon Apple Cider
- 1 Large Apple (I used Fuji, my favourite)
- 1 Bosch pear
- 2-3 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp Whole Cloves (about 10 cloves)
- Fresh grated nutmeg (optional, but amazing!)
- 8 oz Bourbon (*optional)
Gather all of your ingredients together, and set your crock pot to Low.
Pour in your cider and let it begin to simmer while you prepare the fruit
Slice your apples width-wise straight through the core. If you can see the 'star' in the center you've got it right.
Measure out your spices directly into the pot. A little spill won't ruin the mix.
Let the cider and spices simmer to perfection over 2-4 hours, and ladle into big ole mugs when guests arrive.
Enjoy your spiced cider, and your holidays. Let us know how it turned out!
