Cider and damson gin wassail
Bring good luck to next year's harvest by making a wassail drink with friends and family
Ingredients
- 150g Crab apples or 6 small dessert apples
- 2tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 ½l Cider
- 250ml Damson gin
- 200g Caster sugar
- 1 Orange, sliced
- A thumb-sized piece of root ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 2 Star anise
- 6 Allspice berries
- 4 Cloves
- ¼ Nutmeg, freshly grated
- 4 Slices of white toast cut into triangles
Method
Step 1
Heat the oven to 180C(160C fan). Toss the apples in the brown sugar and transfer to an oven-proof dish; roast for 20 minutes until the apples have partly softened and the skins are starting to split. Set aside to cool.
Step 2
Stir the cider, damson gin, caster sugar, orange, ginger and spices together in a large pan, then bring to a simmer on a hob or fire. Serve in mugs or handled glasses with toast to dip into the wassail.
Stuart Ovenden is the author of The Orchard Cook, £25, published by Clearview Books. stuartovenden.com
Main image: ©Stuart Ovenden