Apple and Cranberry Wassail

By
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/6/23
Tested by Joan Velush
Rum Apple Cider Wassail

The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 30 servings
Yield: 1 1/2 gallons

Perfect for a winter holiday party, warming wassail can be served like a punch, and fills the house with wonderful, spicy aromas. Our wassail recipe, which originally appeared in the "Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook," by Kitty and Lucian Maynard, calls for easy-to-find ingredients like apple cider and cranberry juice and gets its kick from optional rum and aromatic bitters. Fresh non-alcoholic apple cider from a local apple orchard or cider mill is best, but you can substitute with store-bought ciders available year-round as well.

What is the History of Wassail?

The warm beverage was an essential part of the ritual of wassailing, a popular drinking and singing tradition in southern medieval England. The ceremony was meant to secure a good apple harvest in the following year by singing to the orchard trees. Later, wassailing also became known as the tradition of going door-to-door greeting neighbors with song during the winter holidays.

The earliest recorded recipes of wassail included warmed mead, an ale brewed with honey, which was then brewed with roasted crab apples. Later, the beverage became a mulled cider made with sugar and various spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

Today, wassail recipes are abundant, with home cooks putting their personal twists on the traditional historical drink. Modern recipes can begin with wine, fruit juice, or mulled ale with brandy or sherry added. Fresh apples or oranges are often added to the brew. 

Party-Ready Preparations and Serving

  • Keep Warm in a Slow Cooker- If you're hosting a large gathering, use your slow cooker to keep the beverage warm. Cook the wassail on the stove as directed by the recipe and carefully transfer it to a slow cooker set on warm.
  • Prepare and Serve in a Slow Cooker- Alternatively, set all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours. Change the setting to warm after the 2 hours. Your wassail is now ready to be served.
  • Self-Serve Station- You can arrange mugs and garnishes close to the slow cooker so each guest can serve themselves and put their favorites garnishes in their mugs.

Choosing the Right Rum

The type of rum you use depends on the flavor you're trying to achieve.

  • Light rum—Sweet and subtle, this will let the flavors of the fruit juice, spices, and bitters shine.
  • Dark rum—This type of rum will impart a slightly smoky, distinctive rum flavor and deepen the color of the wassail.
  • Spiced Rum—Already packed with aromatics, use spiced rum only if you want to turn the flavor dial to high.
What You'll Need to Make this Apple and Cranberry Wassail
A Saucepan
A Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoons

"Apple and cranberry wassail is a delicious warm holiday drink. It certainly can be made without alcohol but the addition of rum makes it even more celebratory. A pot of the wassail simmering on the stove or warming in a crockpot would be just the thing for a winter holiday party.” —Joan Velush

Rum Apple Cider Wassail/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 medium oranges

  • 20 whole cloves

  • 4 quarts apple cider

  • 2 quarts cranberry juice

  • 1 tablespoon aromatic bitters

  • 4 cinnamon sticks, more for garnish

  • 1 tablespoon allspice berries

  • 2 cups rum, optional

  • Star anise pods, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Rum Apple Cider Wassail ingredients

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  2. Stud the oranges with the cloves and slice into rounds. Set aside.

    Stud the oranges with the cloves

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  3. In a large saucepan over low to medium-low heat, combine the 4 quarts apple cider, 2 quarts cranberry juice, 1 tablespoon bitters, 4 cinnamon sticks, 1 tablespoon allspice, and 2 cups rum, if using. Heat gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    combine the apple cider, cranberry juice, bitters, cinnamon sticks, allspice, and rum pot

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  4. Place a cinnamon stick, a couple of star anises, an orange slice, or a combination of all of them in each mug you're serving. Pour a cup of wassail in each mug and serve.

    Rum Apple Cider Wassail in a cup

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

Storing Left Over Wassail

In a sealed container, wassail will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This.

  • Some wassail recipes include eggs, with the egg whites whipped to create a frothy head.

How Strong Is Wassail?

Wassail is easily made alcohol-free, with just juice and spices. However, if you add the optional rum, this wassail is about 3 percent ABV (6 proof), making it a fabulous low-alcohol holiday tipple.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
97 Calories
0g Fat
23g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 30
Amount per serving
Calories 97
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 10mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 77mg 383%
Calcium 30mg 2%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 202mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)