An early Wassail
It’s a bit early for proper Wassailing (toasting the apple trees with cider in January to wish them good health for the season to come), but never mind. I love cider, and there’s nothing nicer on a cold dark evening than a crisp, dry strong cider. A note for North Americans: I’m talking about the stuff with alcohol in, not glorified apple juice. Boy, was I disappointed when I discovered that little cultural difference…
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I'm in NA. And I'm not familiar with the cider you speak of but it sure sounds good.----- I've heard of 'Wassailing'. Isn't "Shall we go a-Wassailing" a Christmas song? I was never really sure what they were talking about.
'Wassailing' sounds like what your walk looks like when you have had too much cider.
by bitweever @ 11/12/2003 4:12 pm • Permalink •
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Hmm... for me cider is a summer drink, especially when chilled and served in a glass with some mint leaves rubbed into it. My favourite winter tipples are whisky mac (whisky + ginger wine), port, and the sloe gin I made earlier which should be ready by Christmas!
These things put a bit of a shine on the short cold days and long nights of winter.
by ThoughtBadger @ 11/12/2003 10:13 pm • Permalink •
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Mulled wine is a god winter drink
But cider I always tend to associate with Christmas time as my folks always had a few large jars of cider in the house for christmas when I was a kid. We didn't usually have alcohol in the house so christmas time aws fascinating for seeing the range of ways grown-ups found to make themselves smell funny, talk silly and then sleep.
by dave m @ 12/12/2003 11:13 pm • Permalink •
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I rather like cider. When I worked in Finland I could never get over the fact that Woodpecker was the coolest drink out. Lots of women drank it in the pubs from bottles, or with ice. It was the equivalent of a G & T almost over there.
by jb @ 13/12/2003 7:12 pm • Permalink •
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bitweever: Wassailing has become associated with Christmas as they both happen in mid-winter, but wassailing is a much older (and pagan) practice.
ThoughtBadger: Cider and mint? Urg! I do also like cider chilled in summer, but most cider (the decent, farmhouse stuff anyway) is a bit too alcoholic to be very enjoyable when it's hot. But in winter, it's warming and spicy tasting (again, I'm not talking about Blackthorn or Woodpecker here, but single variety or traditional ciders), but at the same time it has a fresh taste and lots of vitamin C to ward off colds.
dave m: I think that cider does that to everyone!
jb: Really, that's interesting. I find Woodpecker much too sweet and bland though, but it's often the only kind of cider you can get in a pub, apart from Blackthorn (equally bland).
by bsag @ 13/12/2003 9:12 pm • Permalink •
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