Holiday Drink Recipes: Tart, Sweet and Festive Hot Wassail Punch

This recipe is suitable for all VitaClay models, on the lowest setting (slow, low or soup).

The holidays are here and the cool weather has arrived. It's time for warm, sweet drinks and wonderful smells, sounds and sights. The decorations will soon be going up so it's time to think about those favorite holiday recipes. Whether for a family dinner, holiday potluck or a warm evening in by the fire, warm holiday drinks such hot apple cider and hot chocolate are a must.

Here's a new hot drink that you may want to add to your menu: Wassail Punch. In old English, Wassail means "Be Healthy," and is a health-promoting drink traditionally made during the harvest season when apple cider was being made from harvested apples. This recipe is virgin, though it can easily be spiked with hard cider or other liquor for an alcoholic holiday hot punch.

Ingredients:

• 2 Quarts apple cider
• 2 c orange juice
• 1/2 c lemon juice
• 12 whole cloves
• pinch ground nutmeg
• pinch of ground ginger
• 4 cinnamon sticks

1. Combine apple cider, orange juice and lemon juice in the VitaClay pot.
2. Season with cloves, ginger and nutmeg.
3. Set on "soup" for 30 minutes until it simmers.
4. Set to "warm" and allow to simmer all day. Serve hot.

Wassail was part of a harvest ritual rooted in Medieval England meant to ensure a plentiful apple harvest for the next year, and included songs and rituals as well. Here's to a wonderful harvest (of good times!).