by Hoke Harden
The idea of serving alcoholic drinks to warm up the winter chill is as old as winter itself. First it was warmed up cider and wine and ale, because…well, because that’s all they had. Later, when distillation was discovered, spirits were added to boost the brew a bit. As other beverages came along the universe of warming winter drinks expanded constantly. Now there is a dizzying array available to warm your day and your spirits. Let’s look at a few of them, both ancient and modern.
The Ancient Wassail
The ancient tradition of the wassail bowl came from our Anglo-Saxon cousins. Wassail itself derives from the Saxon waes hael, which meant to your health.
