“Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you
A Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year.”
Although this familiar Christmas carol originated sometime around the mid-19th century and celebrates a traditional English holiday beverage, this warm cider-based drink continues to find a new surge of popularity on our side of the pond. The term wassail or waes hael is a toast that translates to “be well”. The most traditional wassail is a hot mulled cider warmed and mixed with spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
The modern beverage might include an alcoholic spirit of choice or without, as in this special Cascara Wassail recipe: The Lamb’s Wool created by Evan Holder at The Barista Parlor in Nashville
The verb “Wassailing” dates back to medieval England and originates as a ritual followed by villagers and farmers hoping for a good apple harvest the following year. The revelers traveled throughout their villages on the Twelfth Night (January 5) using homemade instruments, like pots and pans, fueled by drinking large quantities of wassail and singing songs to ward off any evil spirits and bless the trees of their orchards.
We invite you to try the Lamb’s Wool - Cascara Wassail above with Vienna’s cascara tea (made from the dried fruit of superior coffee beans) and start your new tradition of wassailing with your family and friends!
For more information on Vienna’s Cascara Coffee Cherry Tea read our prior blog post about this special offering from Vienna Coffee Company.
Cascara Coffee Cherry tea
Cascara, which means “husk“ or “peel” in Spanish, is the dried skin of coffee cherries