A few weeks ago, I had never heard of wassail before, let alone tasted it. I thought I had misheard the word for the first several times. A wa-sail? A wa-sole?
What in the world was a wassail? I was confused enough to call my mom, asking for any information at all about this “Wassail Fest” thing I had never heard of. Unfortunately, she had never heard of it either.
Thankfully, I was able to find the definition online, telling me wassail was a beverage made of hot mulled cider, ale, or wine and spices drunk during wassailing. This definition was helpful, though not entirely illuminating. After all, it defined wassail with wassail and revealed nothing about the drink’s true flavor.
On Friday night, I decided to just take the leap. I joined the throng in the streets of downtown Columbus, ready for Wassail Fest, whatever it held.
The size of the crowd surprised me. Paper cups in hand, wassailers moved from shop to shop, laughing and chatting about the upcoming holidays, ranking each stop based on how much they liked their version of the drink.
The festive atmosphere also surprised me. A massive inflatable snowman and snow globe stood on Main Street, with groups of children oohing and aahing around them.
As I walked through downtown, taking in the sights, my first thought was a little cheesy. I turned to my friends Lizzy, Lily and Lauren (The Triple L’s) who were also first-time wassailers, and said, “It looks like it’s straight out of a Hallmark movie.” The Triple L’s agreed with me. It did look like a Christmas movie, and it smelled like one, too.
I had a fantastic time getting to walk around downtown and see it in a new way through holiday-colored lenses. I also just loved wassail itself. Which is why, after Friday night came and went, I wasn’t ready to let go of the drink quite yet.
The next week, I started asking around town about Wassail Fest, trying to learn more about it. Barbara Bigelow, director of Main Street Columbus, told me that Friday night was the 19th anniversary of Wassail Fest in the city. The event, she said, brought in more ballots than had ever been cast before.
Thinking back on all the stops and how many wassail-goers were served, I started appreciating all of the wassail-makers in a new way. I started going around town, asking for the secret to a good wassail from some of my favorite spots.
During Wassail Fest, I only had time to stop at eight places to taste the beverage. They all seemed relatively similar with just slight variations, to my untrained taste buds. But after my investigation, I realized that wassail really comes in all shapes and sizes.
Caroline Barbee, buyer for Friendly City Books, said wassail’s uniqueness is part of what makes Wassail Fest a success, since everyone does wassail a little differently.
This year was Barbee’s second year making the drink for the bookstore, and she said she has refined her process. Her first year, she used whole spices and fruit slices, like she would for a small batch for her family. This year, she said, she just used a mixture of juices and gingerbread syrup to add sweetness and spice to her wassail. She also cooks her wassail in an Instant Pot, for efficiency.
Salem Gibson, executive director for the Columbus Arts Council, said his wassail was made “with love,” as he spent the week before asking different groups to taste batches of wassail, experimenting with different spice combinations, including more brown sugar and honey than he has in years past. His wassail also included star anise, clover and other whole spices. Every year he doesn’t win, he said, his recipe changes completely. He cooks his wassail in large pots, which he compared to cauldrons or a pot for a crawfish boil.
The arts council also hosted a craft market during Wassail Fest. Gibson said traffic for the event and the market meant the council served about 3,000 wassail-fest goers. Despite this high traffic, the arts council’s wassail was one of my favorites of the night.
While hot wassail is traditional, another favorite of mine was from Mira Mira Boutique, which actually served cold wassail. I know some people may object, but I found it to be a big plus, since it was refreshing on a warm night.
Despite my few favorites, the Wassail Meister has not been named yet. Barbara told me that ballots are still being counted to declare who came out on top.
But after getting a first taste on Friday, I’m not ready to give up the drink just yet. While waiting for the results, I took a crack at making my own wassail. It was very rich and heavily spiced, and I ended up liking it almost as much as my Friday night favorites.
I hope you enjoy getting just one more taste of it during the holiday season. After all, it tastes like a Christmas movie.
HOT WASSAIL
Ingredients
8 cups apple cider (1/2 gallon)
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 whole cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves or 1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
■ Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
■ Bring ingredients to a rapid simmer. Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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