Wassail, first started as a greeting or as a toast. Waes hael, revelers might say holding up a mug of spiced cider. Eventually, as things go, wassail referred less often to the greeting and more often to the drink. Similarly, the toast that was traditionally floated atop the wassail eventually became our toast; that is, when you hold up your glass and announce, “Let’s have a toast,” or “I’ll toast to that,” you’re paying homage to this very old ritual of floating a bit of toast in a spiced ale, a mulled wine or a traditional wassail as an honor or in celebration. In another wassail tradition, the spiced cider was offered as an ancient honor to the trees. In wintertime, wassailers would prepare the traditional wassail–soaking pieces of bread, cake or toast in it–and travel from apple orchard to apple orchard in effort to ensure a good harvest for the coming year. Wassail-soaked pieces of bread or toast were then buried at the trees’ roots or hung in the trees’ branches to appease the tree spirits and feed them well until the next harvest.

 

The holidays are full of tasty treats, gourmet meals and yes, the perfect cocktail or complimentary beverage for your holiday table or party. There are some, like Egg Nog or Wassail, that are time tested; having been the holiday staple for generations. New-fangled contemporary contributions to the season’s cup of cheer could be a champagne Poinsettia punch, a Candy Cane Martini or a Fireball filled cup of cider.

 

Here are a few timeless and the modern classics to try at your next gathering. Cheers!