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You are here: Home / Recipes / Beverages / Spiced Cranberry Wassail

Spiced Cranberry Wassail

December 7, 2018 Updated February 18, 2023 4 Comments

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Cranberry wassail in a mug with cinnamon stick and cranberries

Spiced Cranberry Wassail is made with cranberry juice, fresh orange juice, and a hint of lemon.  Steeped with my favorite holiday spices.

Cranberry wassail in a mug with cinnamon stick and cranberries

Wassail is what Christmas smells like in our home.

Tradition

I have deep British roots where “wassailing” has been associated with Christmas and New Years as far back as the 1400s.  It was a way of passing on good wishes to family and friends.  It was traditionally made with apples and served in a large pewter or silver bowl. 

My great aunt broke tradition and added cranberry juice and served it from a large pot.

Easy to make wassail

cranberries scattered with oranges, lemons on a marble slab
Cranberry wassail in a pot with scattered cranberries, orange slices
  • Stir cranberry juice, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a large pot.  Be sure to use a stainless or enamel coated pot.  Why?  Because Foods cooked in reactive pots, like aluminum, cast iron, or copper will often pick up a metallic flavor.  No good for your wassail. 
  • Taste the wassail to make sure it has enough sugar.  I start with 1/2 cup cane sugar and adjust up from there.
  • Create a spice sachet using a double thickness of cheesecloth filled with orange and lemon zest, a slice of fresh or candied ginger along with spices.  Gather edges together and tie with string.  Drop sachet into the juices.  Push the sachet down to absorb the juices and help it sink.  Optional: feel free to add slices of orange or lemon and a handful of cranberries.  It looks pretty and adds a bit more flavor.
  • DO NOT BOIL Heat the wassail only until steam starts to rise from the liquid.  Hold this heat for about 5-7 minutes.  Turn heat off, cover, and allow to steep for 20 minutes or so depending on how strong of a spice flavor you would like.  
  • Remove spice sachet.  Serve hot.  
  • Wassail can be made a week in advance.  Remove spice sachet and fruit, pour into a container, refrigerate.  Reheat to serve.

cranberry wassail in a white mug with floating orange slice and cinnamon stick

Wassail isn’t just great for the holidays

I like to have wassail on hand during the months of January and February.  Cold and flu season!  I love sipping on wassail when I’m sick.  It’s comforting and loaded with vitamin C.  Take a jar full to a sick friend.

Cranberry wassail in a jar with spool of ribbon in background and cinnamon stick

Spiced Wassail for the perfect gift

Ladle wassail into jars or decorative containers for a fun holiday gift.  Just add a bow, cinnamon stick, and a tag.  For a large batch try this Christmas Wassail recipe or for a more naturally sweetened and gourmet flavors try Apple Pear Rose Cardamom Cider. It’s a bit more work but has amazing flavors. 

Cranberry wassail in a mug with cinnamon stick and cranberries
4.79 from 14 votes
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Spiced Cranberry Wassail

A mixture of cranberry, orange, and lemon juice steeped with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and ginger. 

Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Keyword cranberry wassail, hot spiced cranberry drink, spiced cranberry orange drink
Prep Time 10 minutes
steep 20 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 210 kcal
Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

Wassail

  • 64 ounces cranberry juice bottled
  • 4 cups fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 - 1 cup cane sugar

Spice sachet

  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 6 allspice berries optional
  • zest from 1/2 orange
  • zest from 1/2 lemon
  • slice of fresh or candied ginger

Instructions

  1. Combine juices in a nonreactive pot and stir in 1/2 cup sugar.  Taste the mixture to determine if more sweetener is needed and adjust according to your taste.  Heat just until steam begins to rise from the mixture.  

  2. Combine the spices, zest, and ginger in a piece of cheesecloth.   Gather the edges and tie them together so the spices can't fall out. 

  3. Drop sachet bag into steaming cranberry juice mixture.  Press the sachet down into the juices.  Continue to heat wassail without boiling for 5-7 minutes.  DO NOT BOIL.  Cover pot with a lid and allow to steep for 20 minutes.  Remove lid and sachet.  Serve.

  4. Wassail can be made in advance and refrigerated.  Reheat and serve.  Can be made at least 1 week in advance. 

Recipe Notes

  • I used bottled cranberry juice.  Unsweetened can be used.  Sugar amount will need to be adjusted according to taste.
  • Some oranges are sweeter than others, which will change the tartness of the wassail.
  • I only used fresh orange juice, but bottled can be used.  This would decrease the amount of sugar.
  • Simmer in a stainless steel or enamel covered pot.  Aluminum, cast iron, or copper can give the wassail a metallic taste.
  • Fresh pressed apple juice can be used which will add more sweetness, but the color won't be as vibrant.  It will still be delicious.
  • Whole spices work best.  I don't recommend using ground spices.
  • Wassail is so soothing when sick.  I love drinking this when I have a cold.
  • DO NOT BOIL.  Boiling the wassail kind of makes the citrus pulp curdle.  It doesn't look so pretty.  
Nutrition Facts
Spiced Cranberry Wassail
Amount Per Serving (8 ounces)
Calories 210
% Daily Value*
Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 5mg0%
Potassium 430mg12%
Carbohydrates 53g18%
Fiber 0g0%
Sugar 50g56%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 350IU7%
Vitamin C 86mg104%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Fun wassailing facts: 

Wassailing through history

“Here we come a-wassailing….”

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Related

Filed Under: Beverages, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: christmas wassail, cranberry wassail

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. PJ says

    January 1, 2025 at 6:05 pm

    5 stars
    First time using cranberry based wassail recipe and I’ll never go back! Used only ยฝ c. of sugar and was happy to have a lighter taste rather than heavy sweet flavor profile. Used simply OJ and fresh grated citrus zests and spices, per recipe. Guests loved it! It didn’t ‘fill me up’ like the apple cider based recipes have in the past. Will repeat this recipe all winter long! Not a coffee drinker so this makes a great warm drink to sip! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      January 13, 2025 at 9:54 pm

      Cranberry wassail is definitely my favorite wassail. It is so warming. I love the spices with the cranberry juice. Thank you so much for your kind comment.

      Reply
  2. Rees says

    January 15, 2019 at 9:56 pm

    5 stars
    This is the best wassail recipe I’ve ever tasted. I make it whenever I get a sore throat.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      January 15, 2019 at 10:06 pm

      Thanks, Rees. It’s is the best to drink when you have a cold.

      Reply
4.79 from 14 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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Janet Barton

Hi I'm Janet and this is where I share my delicious made-from-scratch seasonal recipes that I make at home for my family every day.

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