Wassail Cocktail

Now that we have most of the holiday decorations up its time to refocus our energy and make a cocktail! We were a bit parched after struggling with all of those strings of lights. 

Mulling spice, cider, brandy, and citrus are all traditional ingredients in wassail – a warm punch that dates to the middle ages. Wassail is a great holiday drink, but it requires a bit of time and quite a few ingredients. We were looking to make something easier – preferably on the rocks since we worked up a sweat bringing those bins of decorations up from the basement! 

We had some Apple Cider Simple Syrup leftover (previously used in our Apple Rye Cocktail) and some terrific Spiced Rum from Far North Spirits, so we thought we would do a wassail riff on an Old Fashioned. A classic Old Fashioned contains a base spirit, a sweetener, bitters, and garnish. Our rum had plenty of spice, so we didn’t need the bitters, but we decided to throw in a bit more alcohol (and balance the spice) by using some apple brandy. After a quick taste we agreed that we also needed a little citrus. With the addition of a bit of lemon we got the result we were looking for – a nice cool drink with some holiday spice.

While we relaxed by our festively decorated outdoor fireplace, the Cocktail Artist did a quick watercolor sketch (illustrating our hard work) to pair with our cocktail. Now we’re definitely in a festive mood. Maybe we’ll eventually get around to putting the decorations on the Christmas tree…

Cheers!


Wassail Cocktail

2 ounces Spiced Rum (Far North Spirits Alander Nordic Rum)
1 ounce Apple Brandy (Catoctin Creek Quarter Branch Apple Brandy)
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
¾ ounce apple cider simple syrup (see recipe below)

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake well and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.


Apple Cider Simple Syrup


1 ½ cups fresh apple cider
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon mulling spice (whole cloves, dried orange rind, cinnamon stick)

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil. Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes – then remove from heat. Cool to room temperature and strain syrup into a bottle or jar (to remove the mulling spice). Cover and refrigerate. Syrup will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Fireside - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist




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