Grandma’s Wassail

I don’t have many memories of going to my grandparents’ house for Christmas when I was young,  but I do succinctly remember what their house smelled like one Christmas that I did.

As soon as my family and I walked through the front door one year, we were embraced by a warm citrus and cinnamon scent, and I instantly knew that that’s what Christmas should smell like.

Soon we discovered that this wonderful scent was coming from Grandma’s stove, from a mixture of juices and other ingredients, which she called wassail. It was my first time to try such a delightful drink, but I quickly decided it couldn’t be my last! I wrote down the recipe over that visit and have been making it ever since living on my own.
Ironically, I recently discovered I was making it wrong after talking to my aunt (my grandma’s only daughter) about it. I’m not sure how I was missing one of the main ingredients. All I can think of is that I was young when I copied the original. I’m glad I have the true one now.

My grandma is still around but hasn’t made this drink for years. She’s here in body, but her memory has been gone for quite some time, so having her recipe is extra special to me. It’s one of many ways that her memory will live on for me of days when she had her memory and made Christmas and every visit so special for us. I can’t help but think of her when I make it, and I hope to pass this recipe onto my boys when they get older and tell them about her too. She was a devout Christian that served as a role model to my dad and his siblings of what it meant to live a godly life, and I’m so grateful to her for that. She left them a spiritual legacy which has been passed down to me and many of her other grandchildren, and it’s the best gift she could have ever given anyone. Making this recipe is just a way of remembering her impact with a grateful heart. It’s a way of honoring her and the legacy she has left behind. She may not be earth-bound much longer, but the ways she made an eternal impact will last forever, so I’ll make this drink every Christmas and remember her and pray that God will allow that legacy to continue to the following generations until the day He returns.

GRANDMA’S WASSAIL

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts (8 cups) water
• Black tea (3 tea bags or 3 teaspoons instant. I used decaf)
• 2 c sugar (see NOTES)
• 1 c water (see NOTES)
• 2 quarts apple juice or cider
• 2 c grapefruit juice
• 2 c pineapple juice
• 2 c orange juice
• 1 c lemon juice
• 3 t ground cloves
• 2 to 3 cinnamon sticks
• Optional garnish: fresh cranberries, cloves, and/or grapefruit, orange, or lemon slices.

Instructions:

Bring water to boil over the stove, then add the tea and let steep for five to ten minutes. Add sugar and additional water and stir until dissolved, then add the apple juice (or cider) grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, orange juice, and lemon juice. Simmer for three hours, adding the cloves and cinnamon sticks within the last hour. Garnish with fresh cranberries, cloves, and/or grapefruit, orange, or lemon slices.

NOTES: I do not personally add two cups of sugar to my wassail, as that is an exorbitant amount. I did want to include this recipe as close to how my grandma made it in her honor, however. So, here it is. Please feel free to add less sugar according to your own taste. The last time I made this, I used only a quarter cup. The amount of water added should roughly be half of the amount of sugar. Also, all the juices used here are either from the bottle or a can.

On a separate note, this will most likely be my last post before Christmas, so I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! May Jesus be celebrated most of all this season!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6