Spare Spoons Kitchen
Aunt Betty’s Comfort Kitchen · Entertaining
Boar's Head Wassail
A hot holiday wassail — apple cider and orange, lemon, and pineapple juices gently mulled with cloves and cinnamon. Fills the house with the smell of Christmas. Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Effort ●○○○
Time ●●○○ Anytime
VeganGluten-Free
Servingsamounts scale to match
16
Units
Ingredients
Simmer low — don't boil. A gentle hour-long simmer melds the cloves and cinnamon into the juices without cooking off the bright fruit flavor; a hard boil turns it flat and bitter. Strain out the spices before serving.
Easier, if you like
- Slow cooker: combine everything and cook on low 2–3 hours, then keep on warm.
- Mulling spice bag in place of loose cloves and cinnamon — easier to fish out.
Method
Cook's notes
Keep it below a boil the whole time — that's the difference between fragrant and bitter.
Taste before sweetening; the pineapple and cider are usually sweet enough on their own.
Hold it warm in a slow cooker on low to serve through a party.
Naturally vegan and gluten-free (use sugar rather than honey to keep it vegan).
Vegan and gluten-free as written
Vegan: sweeten with sugar or maple syrup rather than honey.
For adults: a splash of dark rum or brandy in each mug turns it into a proper spiked wassail.