The Christmas wassail: a warm drink for winter By Martha Seiberling-- - -- according to t&e-primiti- ve style, pro- Mlssouilan staff writer nouncing it 'the ancient fountain of good feeling, where all hearts meet together." (from "Christinas at Here we come a-wassai- ling BracebridgeHall") Among the leaves so green, Today, few wassail recipes using I Here we come a-wande- nng, and re-- 1 So fair to be seen. "the richest raciest wines" main, but wassail cap be a part of Love and joy come to you, anyone's holiday celebration, wheth- and to your wassail too. er or not they drink it out of a "silver And God send you a happy New vessel of curious workmanship." Year, a New Year. One wassail recipe is featured in Traditional English carol the Livingston County (Mo.) Retired of the 17th century Senior Volunteer Program Cook- book: Today, few people go wassailing, and few have tasted the spiced drink Christmas Wassail once so popular in England and oth- Vz cup sugar er parts of Europe. Washington Ir- 1 quart of water ving described the wassail bowl as Boil together for ten minutes. Then well as any historian of the English tie the following spices into a cloth Christmas. bag and put them into the hot syrup "When the cloth was removed, the and let stand for one hour or longer. butler brought in a huge Squeeze bag. silvervessel 12 cloves of rare and curious workmanship, 4 cinnamon sticks which he placed before the squire. 4 allspice berries Its appearance was hailed with ac- 2 tablespoons of ginger being clamation, the Wassail Bowl Add two quarts of apple juice or ci- so renowned in Christmas festivity. der, 3 cups of orange juice or 1 frozen The contents had been prepared by can of orange juice made up with wa- the squire himself, for it was a bev- ter and Vh cups lemon juice. Bring to erage in the skillful mixture of which .a boiling point but do not boil. Serves 4-ou- he particularly prided himself, alleg- 30 with nce servings. ing that it was too . . . complex for Rebecca Teague, of Creative Cui- the comprehension of an ordinary sine, 1200 E. Broadway, offers this servant. It was a potation indeed, recipe for Wassail Punch: that might well make the heart of a 2 quarts sweet apple cider toper leap within him, being com- 2 cups orange juice posed of the richest and raciest 1 teaspoon whole cloves wines, highly spiced and sweetened, 1-- 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup lemon juice

apples 6-oun- ce with roasted bobbing about 1 can pineapple juice the surface. sugar or honey to taste "The old gentleman's whole coun- Combine and simmer. tenance beamed with a serene look of indwelling delight as he stirred Whichever recipe is used, wassail this mighty bowl. Having raised it to is the ideal holiday spiced drink, his lips, with a hearty wish of a Mer- whether for celebrating a formal ry Christmas to all present, he sent dinner, or providing Christmas car- it brimming round the board, for ev- olers (today's version of wassailers) ery one to follow his example, with a hotwinter drink.