Possible Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully
and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may affect your health and well-being

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Please Fave the original Here

Granted, "Garfield the Cat" might not be the first thing that comes to mind for a classic Christmas drink, but here he is nonetheless from !

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It's Christmas again, that happiest of times for so many, and just like every year, the month leading into it has put me in quite the cooking and baking mood! That means new recipes to share with you, like this fresh take on a traditional festive drink: Wassail! Ever wonder what wassailing is, like in that one song?

Well, this is what people who went doing that were after, and once you taste it, you'll see why! Much like a well-made cranberry sauce, even the warm, fragrant scent of it is enough to make you want more! Is the very description of it tempting you now? Well then, give in to the temptation--go get all the ingredients you'll need, open up this recipe and make it! Do it right now, or you're getting coal in your stocking! I'm sorry, that was uncalled for--but seriously, let's get cookin'!

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 litres of apple cider or apple juice
- 3 cups of cranberry juice
- 1 1/2 cups of grape juice
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- 2 apples (any particularly sweet or tart kind should do, I used McIntoshes)
- 1 large seedless orange
- 1 can of pear halves
- 2 plums (you'll want some nice big dark ones for this)
- 1 can of sour cherries in syrup
- 2 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp of allspice
- 1/4 tsp of ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
- 1/2 tbsp of sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of honey

Optional garnish:
- Cinnamon sticks

Recipe:

1. Peel the apples and cut them into 8-10 even wedges.
2. Without peeling it, cut the orange into rounds, preferably as thin as you can manage.
3. Cut each plum in half, being careful of their pits, and then cut each half into 4 even wedges, being careful of the pits.
4. Measure out about 1/3 cup of cherries and carefully separate them from as much of the syrup as possible.
5. Open and drain the can of pear slices, then cut up 2-3 halves into slices and those slices into smaller chunks.
6. Put the juices, spices, sugars and honey together in your largest pot over medium-high heat and stir well to combine the juices and dissolve the spices into them.
7. Add the fruit, being careful not to overflow the pot.
8. Let the mixture come to a boil. You can put a lid over the pot for this step if you want to speed things along. Once it starts boiling, remove the lid right away, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes.
9. Turn off the heat, move the pot off the stove and let the finished wassail sit for 5 minutes.
10. Ladle the wassail into mugs, garnish each one with a cinnamon stick if desired, and enjoy!
And with that, you've got yourself the perfect fruity beverage for a cold December night! It's excellent for serving up alongside Christmas breakfast or dinner, snacks during Christmas movie time, your favourite assortment of warm treats after a day of outdoor activities, or even your personal New Year's feast, and you can even whip some up for your holiday potluck or cookie recipe exchange party to really impress your guests! Whatever event you choose to make it for, you're in for a good time! Just be careful with it--this drink comes out very hot! And if you end up with enough left over, just transfer it to a drink pitcher, keep it in the fridge, and heat it up in a mug in the microwave when you want some more! Whether freshly made or a couple days old, it's still great, so I certainly hope you and your loved ones enjoy it either way! :3