Twelfth Night Wassail Punch
Add some merriment to your Twelfth Night festivities with this traditional holiday punch, and listen to the famous song while you make it!
What is “Wassailing”?
Wassailing (pronounced “WASS-a-ling”) is the act of going from house to house singing and drinking wassail punch (as in “Here we go a-wassailing…”), traditionally on the Twelfth Night (January 5th), which is “Epiphany Eve.” In the Middle Ages, the wassail was a reciprocal exchange between the feudal lords and their peasants as a form of recipient-initiated charitable giving, to be distinguished from begging. Listen to the song below.
Holiday Wassail Punch
Ingredients
- 1 quart apple juice
- 1 quart orange juice
- 2 cups cranberry juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1, 8 oz. can pineapple juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 whole allspice
- 3 to 4 cinnamon sticks
- Navel orange slices (as desired for garnish)
- cranberries (as desired for garnish)
Instructions
- Combine first eight ingredients in listed order inside crock-pot (4 quart size or larger).
- Cook on low setting approximately 4 hours or until heated to desired temperature.
- Ladle into mugs and garnish with additional cinnamon sticks, orange slices and cranberries. Happy Holidays!
The traditional beverage is perfect after a night of Christmas caroling or to enjoy with friends at any holiday gathering. The slow cooker keeps it warm for the evening.
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Are the stars in the punch star anise? Whole allspice just looks like a little pea to me. I can’t figure out where the star looking spice comes from in the recipe. Thanks for your help!!
Yes, the photo pictures star anise. The recipe calls for allspice, but star anise makes a nice addition and attractive garnish.
Thank you so much we are making this for Christmas. We got both the allspice and the star anise!!
I am diabetic and didn’t have All Spice so when I made this recipe for 12th night, I left off the added sugar and used 1tsp vanilla extract (the real stuff),
And a healthy shake or two each of the following ground spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg (and just a scant dash of chili).
Sooo goooood! Still sent my BG through the roof but so worth it.
Glad you enjoyed it, Carol and we’re glad you made the modifications necessary.
Thank you, Pat Taylor!
Thank you for the recipe. This one is a little different than the one I usually use. My grands love Wassil and relate it to the Christmas celebration.
What size can of pineapple juice? Small or large? It only states one can.
Hi Leafah, we fixed the story to read 1 8 oz can of pineapple juice. Thank you!
Thanks, Great for the season. Merry Christmas everyone