Wassail is a warm cider beverage steeped in ancient tradition and bobbing with baked brown sugar apples, oranges, cloves and cinnamon and a good dose of hard cider and brandy.
Core the apples until the seeds are removed, taking care not to accidentally go all the way through the apples. A melon baller works well for this.
Lightly fill each apple with brown sugar, careful not to pack the sugar down, keep it loose and lightly fill to the top. Place the apples upright into a baking dish and pour the water into the bottom of the dish. Bake 40-45 minutes until the apples can be pierced with a fork, but not so soft that they are mushy and falling apart.
In the meantime, stud the peel sides of the cut oranges with whole cloves, 5 cloves to each half.
Pour the apple cider, hard cider, and brandy into a large non-reactive pot. An enameled French or Dutch oven would work well. Stir to combine. PRO TIP this vessel is also good for serving the wassail later as it will retain the heat well.
Over low-medium heat gently stir in the spices and cinnamon sticks. Add the orange halves, cloves side down, not to worry though if they flip, the idea is to infuse the liquid with the essence of the cloves. Simmer gently for 1 hour. Do not let the contents boil, you'll risk evaporation or will create a syrupy consistency.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the cinnamon sticks and oranges and set aside.
Strain the wassail. If planning to serve in the cooking vessel, straining the wassail into another pot for a moment to make sure all the particles of cloves and spices are removed is helpful, then pour back into the cooking vessel.
Gently add the baked apples. Tip them in, spilling them over, so their sweet sugar combines with the wassail and the hollowed cores of the apples fill with the warm beverage. Gently stir. Add back the cinnamon sticks (or garnish with new ones) and the orange halves.
Serve in a mug or in punch-sized heat tolerant glasses. Top with a small piece of toast or a cinnamon stick, if desired.
The baked apples are also delicious to enjoy after they've soaked up some of the aromatic wassail.
Notes
This recipe originally included the addition of eggs, as it was often customary in its time to serve with eggs. Seeing as though that is less popular of an idea today, the eggs have been omitted from this recipe. However, if you're so inclined, here is what you would do:Separate the yolks and whites from 6 eggs. Beat the yolks until light and airy and set aside. Beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the beaten yolks into the egg whites and temper by slowly adding 1/2 cup of warm wassail. Add to the large batch of wassail. Play around with different spirits too, consider sherry, dark spiced rum, and pale ale as other options.