This traditional warm beverage served around Winter Solstice and Christmas will have you curled up with a mug asking for more! We added tamarind and piloncillo to fuse the English origins of this drink with delicious Mexican staples. Enjoy, or shall we say, provecho!
What is Wassail?
Wassail is a warm beverage made of spices, fruits, and mulled cider/apple cider that can be consumed from a special Wassail bowl. Traditionally and in modern day times, Wassail drinkers add ale, brandy, rum or cider to their Wassail. Wassail was traditionally consumed during Yule, an ancient European festival that celebrates the return of the sun. Yule starts on the eve of Winter Solstice and ends on December 31st (the 12 days of Yule).
Wassail! Wassail! All over the town,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we’ll drink unto thee.~An excerpt from a traditional Gloucestershire Wassail Carrol
What are the Origins of Wassail?
Wassail is a drink, a salutation and a practice of caroling. Wassailing dates back to pre-Christian England, when the health of the animals and crops would be toasted to by the local farmers and villagers.
Historians say that local villagers would walk through their fields and orchards singing and shouting away the bad spirits that could potentially ruin the crops over the winter. Additionally, they would pour apple cider on the ground to encourage growth and fertility for the crops.
This tradition of Wassailing eventually morphed into drinking apple cider and going caroling door-to-door during the Christmas season.
The word itself, Wassail, is derived from the Old Norse and Old English phrases ves heil and was hal, which is a salutation that means “be in good health” and “be fortunate”.
How to Make Wassail Punch (With a Mexican Twist)
This easy wassail recipe uses only 8 ingredients with minimal prep. Once it’s all in the pot you can go about your day while the wassail simmers! If you like to drink alcohol you can add rum, brandy or wine at the end to the warm beverage. Merry Wassailing!
Ingredients
Apple Cider: Fresh made apple cider is the yummiest, but if you don’t have time to make it I totally understand! Apple cider can be found in most supermarkets, but if you cannot find it in your area then apple juice will suffice just fine.
Apples: Organic apples are preferred in this recipe, as we will be placing the apples directly in the punch (skin on). Here in Mexico, we do not have access to organic apples, so I just used conventional apples and washed the heck out of them!
Oranges: Same goes for the oranges, as far as buying organic. Make do with what you have – a little touch of pesticides never hurt anyone, especially if you’re adding alcohol!
Cinnamon Sticks: Luckily, cinnamon sticks can be bought in most supermarkets. If you only have access to ground cinnamon, then use that! Use 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon in place of 1 stick of cinnamon.
Whole Cloves: Cloves are one of the main ingredients in this recipe – make sure you add them into the wassail punch! Additionally, the cloves smell wonderful and add a festive touch to the recipe.
Ginger: Ginger is a wonderful, aromatic part of this recipe! Just remember, it can be a bit strong for some people, so add to your liking. I used 1 knob of ginger for this recipe.
Piloncillo: Piloncillo is a raw form of pure cane sugar that is used often in cooking traditional Mexican drinks and desserts. Some people refer to it as Mexican brown sugar, and it does indeed have a brown sugar flavor. Piloncillo can be found in most Mexican supermarkets. Brown sugar can be used as a substitute!
Tamarind: Tamarind fruit are bean like pods that come from the tamarind tree, a tropical tree that is native to West Africa (and naturalized in many tropical countries). The pulp from the pods are paste like and have a sweet/sour taste that are used to flavor drinks and candies. Tamarind can be purchased at Mexican markets and other ethnic shops (although I have noticed that Walmart and Whole Foods are carrying tamarind now).

Let’s Make Wassail (With a Mexican Twist)!
First, you are going to add the cloves to the 2 apples and 2 of the oranges by poking them through the peels. You will make a pretty looking pattern around the fruit so the cloves are spread out. Put these to the side when you’re done (to add to the Wassail later).

Next, you are going to peel the hard skin off of the tamarind pods. The inside is a squishy paste – put this paste to the side for the Wassail. It’s okay if there’s tiny bits of skin on the paste, we will strain this out later.

Now is the time to add all of our ingredients to a pot and make some Wassail magic! Add all of the ingredients, except for the one orange without the cloves, to a medium sized pot.
Optional: For more orange-y flavor, cut an orange in half and squeeze both sides into the punch.
Bring the punch a boil, and then turn low and cover to bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 – 3 hours until the apples are squishy and the punch is aromatic.

After 2-3 hours it is time to serve! Strain the cooked fruits and spices out of the punch by using a fine mesh colander.

Your Wassail punch will be ready to drink warm – add alcohol of choice or drink as is. Enjoy your delicious Wassail punch!

Easy Wassail Recipe (with a Mexican Twist)
Equipment
- 1 Medium sized pot
- 1 Fine mesh colander
- 1 Stirring Spoon
- 1 Large Glass Mason Jar
Ingredients
- 8 cups Apple Cider
- 2 Apples
- 3 Oranges
- 1-2 Knobs of Ginger
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 20-25 Whole Cloves
- 6 Tamarind Pods
- 1 Cone of Piloncillo
Instructions
- Poke the whole cloves into the skins of 2 of the oranges and both of the apples. Try to spread out the cloves evenly around the surface of the apples and oranges. Set them to the side.
- Peel the tamarind pods and set the tamarind fruit paste (it will have a squishy texture) to the side.
- Add all of the ingredients on the list to a medium sized pot. Cut the orange in half (without the cloves) and squeeze the juice into the pot. Give the punch a good mix.
- Bring the punch to a boil and stir occasionally. Once the punch is boiling bring to a low simmer and cover. Let cook for 2-3 hours.
- After 2-3 hours try the punch to see if you like the taste. Add more water if the punch is too sweet – cup by cup.
- Strain the punch out of the pot by pouring the mixture into a glass jar using a fine mesh colander.
- Serve warm in serving mugs with splashes of wine, rum or brandy if desired. Enjoy your Wassail!