Crock Pot Holiday Wassail

Christmas just isn't complete without hot wassail in my house! I grew up with my Mom simmering it away in her smaller crock pot, and the smell was just enough to get my mouth watering. Tasting it was even more delightful!

 I've tried quite a few hot wassail recipes, and have fallen in love with so many of them. It's really hard to screw up hot wassail, in my opinion, haha. It's basically warmed up fruit juice with warm seasonal spices. This version is a new one I tried this year and fell pretty hard for. Can't wait for you 

to try it! 

Hot wassail is all fine and well with just the juice and spices, but there's something about the glorious citrus slices floating on top with a couple cinnamon sticks that just screams Christmas to me. I mean, look at those beauties! Raid your produce section of all the citrus you can find and grab one of each to place into this hot wassail. It not only looks gorgeous, but adds another depth to the flavor. 

If you have a smaller crock pot, that'll work just fine. I have a very large one (gifted to us by my husband's Aunt Sharon. It's my favorite crock pot in the entire world, and I use it more than a couple times every week for different things. I'll love her forever for this crock pot!). 

You could easily make this on the stove-top, too, if you have a large pot you can simmer on the back burner. 

Now, I have to warn you, prepare yourselves for some intensely AMAZING smells coming from this wassail as it simmers away in your kitchen! We've had some new neighbors gift us some "stovetop potpourri" as a neighborhood gift, and it smelled absolutely incredible. Only... it made me want to drink it, haha. This has all the flavors you'd have in some stovetop potpourri, but you are more than welcome to have a mug of it after drowning in the intoxicating fragrance it sends throughout your cozy home on Christmas! 

So, here's the deal, the recipe isn't exact, but I wrote it down as I added everything in, so it's close to exact as I could make it, haha. Feel free to adjust the recipe according to what your family likes. It's not like a baking recipe where if you miss an ingredient, your oven explodes with a baking disaster. It's a couple fruity ingredients in a crock pot. You've got this! 

So, if you have family coming over this Christmas, put some of this amazing wassail in the crock pot, or on your stove, and the smell will fill your home with the Christmas spirit, and your guest's bellies with a cup of delicious Christmas cheer. :) Enjoy! 

Crock Pot Holiday Wassail 

makes 15 servings

ingredients: 

2 quarts of pure apple juice*

5 C orange juice

1 quart of berry cocktail*

2-4 cinnamon sticks

1 t almond extract

slices of grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, and a handful of cranberries

handful of cloves (optional)

method:

1. Add all ingredients in a crock pot and simmer on low for an hour, or until heated through. Enjoy! 

*We used the "Simply" brand for all of these, and they were delicious! 

Recipe source: Baking with Blondie