Houstonist Bartender: Wassail

Wassail, both a noun and a verb, manages to come up in at least one conversation (or carol) each December holiday season. And yet, what the heck is it?

The drink is from medieval northern Europe and used to resemble something like mulled beer. It's now more like mulled cider, wine or dry sherry. The word means "Be thou hale!" and was used as a non-Christian greeting or goodbye. Houstonist wonders if Shalom or Aloha were drinks, what would they be like? We're betting tasty.

Wassail the verb is to sing outside someone's door in the hopes of receiving some food or drink (like wassail). It was also part of a custom on Twelfth Night to ensure a good crop of cider apples the following year and to ward off evil spirits. You wassail to the apple trees and barns. We urge you to give this a try should you stumble upon a barn or apple tree in our fair city.

Central to wassail, be it the beverage or the activity, are singing and carousing. That's something Houstonist can really get behind. If you're feeling like trying out your chops, Gower Wassail is supposedly the oldest Wassail song, dating to 1536. Or just try, "Fol dedol dol dedol dol dedol dol de do," especially after a few cups of wassail.

But enough of that. Follow the jump to see how to make this delicious stuff, not so different from the Swedish noggin-washing delight Glögg.