Making merry “sometimes” seemed to include alcohol. I don’t know if Eliza Hamilton drank much, but I assume she would have at least had wine with dinner on occasion. We hear a great deal about wassail at Christmas–and maybe she would’ve tried it, given that a lot of Brits were around and it is a very English drink.
But Eliza’s family was Dutch and they had their own traditions. So to cover my bases here, I’m including a wassail recipe with a link to a YouTube video. I’m also including a link to an Advocaat –Dutch Eggnog, which she may have been more likely to imbibe, especially before she married. It looks delicious!
Wassail Recipe from The Williamsburg Cookbook
As traditional and familiar as most any English Christmas carol, the song is among the season's more anachronistic, an evocation of a holiday custom that pretty much puzzles modern celebrants: wassailing.
(20 servings)
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
3 lemon slices
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups orange juice
6 cups dry red wine
½ cup lemon juice
1 cup dry sherry
2 lemons, sliced
Wassailing is an ancient English custom, part of the feasts and revelry of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, which have been revived in Colonial Williamsburg. The master of the English household drank to the health of those present with a bowl of spiced ale, and each in turn after him passed the bowl along and repeated the Saxon phrase “Wass hael,” which means “be whole” or “be well.”
Directions:
Boil the sugar, cinnamon sticks, and 3 lemon slices in ½ cup of water for 5 minutes and strain. Discard the cinnamon sticks and lemon slices.
Heat but do not boil the remaining ingredients. Combine with the syrup, garnish with the lemon slices, and serve hot.
Thank you foe this history. I always thought it meant carolers. I should of done some research when younger. Thank you for sharing yours and enlightening me.
I've made hot spiced cider which eventually became wassail when the cider fermented and became hard cider. HA!!! Advocaat sounds delicious - I wonder if something could be substituted for the brandy to serve to those who are young or don't consume alcohol.
Now that sounds pretty good. I would give that drink recipe a try for sure.
Cindi Knowles
Interesting - it sounds like it would be really sweet - eggnog would be more my vibe...or a mulled apple cider
Okay now that sounds pretty good and fairly easy to make. I might try that one. Thank you for sharing!