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Wassail Recipe

Wassail

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Total Reviews: 23

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  • on December 23, 2009

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    Wassail video
    PT1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN9gT3hwkE0
    PT2:     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v9TXRstvmI
    Enjoy!

    Trying     the recipe tonight =D

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  • on December 23, 2009

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    I made this from the printed recipe without watching the show. I tried to find a clip of it online but couldn't. Instead I looked at other people on youtube making similar wassail recipes to get the technique from them. And yes, I tempered my eggs don't worry. But still, it ended up tasting like...well, a mixture of the ingredients. It tasted like warm beer mixed with sweet wine and it was gross. I also used a lot more spice than he called for and couldn't taste it at all. I'm sure those of you who saw the show know something I don't. This is not to rate Alton low, but a warning to those interested, do NOT make this if you haven't watched the episode.

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  • on December 23, 2009

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    While not necessarily the easiest recipe in the world to master, this wassail tastes like Christmas and has now been made a tradition to make this in my house every Christmas season.

    One thing to note though, the apples took quite a bit longer than 45 minutes till they were soft. Might have been the size of the apples, might have been my oven, but it was the only thing that gave me problems. Another note is that the wassail also tastes good without the apples if you like a dryer spicier drink. The apples change the drink all around knocks down some of the spiciness.

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  • on December 22, 2009

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    We made this over the weekend when we were snowed-in (well, snowed-in next to a 24-hour supermarket and a liquor store. We had to settle for a bottle of Port instead of a bottle of Madeira.
    It was a spicy-smooth and very complex flavor. I liked it better the longer the apples sat in there and added their sweetness -- I imagine it would have started out sweeter with Madeira.
    It was the perfect drink to sip with a blizzard raging outside, and I hope we will make it a Christmas tradition!

    re: earlier posts
    It definitely still had some of the alcohol in it, especially at the beginning.
    We slowly added over a cup of the 120 degree beer/wine combo to the whipped eggs before adding the eggs back to the pot and didn't have any trouble with curdling. Once when we let the whole mixture get up to 150 degrees we noticed a slightly curdled appearance, but it homogenized again when the temp came back down.

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  • on December 19, 2009

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    I made a 1/2 recipe (drinking it right now! and I thought it turned out really tasty.

    I opted to use Sam Adams Brown Ale, largely because it was on sale and I thought it would pair good with the apples.

    The result is interesting - I can only compare to a lightly roasty mulled wine; the eggs simply give the drink a really beautiful froth and some added silkiness to the body. The apples add a little apfelwein/cider undertone that helps keep any booziness from the Madeira at bay. Spices are not overdone at all. If I were to do it again (and I think I will! I think I will try using a beer with a bit more roast, such as a English porter - perhaps Samuel Smiths Taddy Porter.

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  • on December 19, 2009

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    Every year I have some of this, mostly non-alcoholic variations. However, I currently have a pot full of my variation cooking up. I don't know if I want this to be my final variation, but we'll see. I basically used lager instead of ale, and home made apple wine instead of Madeira. I can't wait! I'll let you all know if it worked out so that perhaps those of you who care to be adventurous can try another variation.

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  • on December 19, 2009

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    This wassail recipe will rock your world! It is excellent! Just perfect for your Christmas party! Smooth, just the right amount of creamy goodness! This will become a family tradition in our home!

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  • on December 15, 2009

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    does the alcohol burn off?

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  • on December 14, 2009

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    What's wassail? Who cares? This stuff was next to the spiced cider on the stove and at the end of the night the results spoke for themselves! We served this along with homemade eggnog (Alton's recipe, of course! and at the end of the night people were fighting over who got the last glass.

    To those who had trouble with this recipe: Watch the YouTube versions of AB's recipes or google the episode transcripts, but always take the Food Network versions with a grain of salt.

    On a personal note -- Alton, you made my flighty scientist husband into a good cook. YOU ARE A GOD.

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  • on December 13, 2009

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    This is a really nice holiday beverage. There's a lot of spiciness up front, but it mellows out into something very well-balanced and drinkable. The beer really cuts down the sweetness of the Madeira, and the eggs give it a nice creamy texture. I've had other drinks that try to pass themselves off as "wassail", but they were basically just a mulled cider with rum. This is pretty unique!

    I used the cheapest California Madeira at the wine store, and a home-brewed Red Ale. I also prepared my eggs early on so that they were close to room temperature by the time they were ready to be incorporated into the drink to minimize the temperature difference.

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