Musings on Wassail (Mulled Cider), Cocktails, and Cozy Tales…

You know, chilly days, long nights, and winter bring on this need for comforting, cozy libations and tales. Children, of all ages, or as Nat King Cole trills, from one to ninety-nine in The Christmas Song, enjoys warm, delicious ciders. Wassail or Mulled drinks comes in a multitude of forms, has an ancient history, and we even have traditional winter songs about it, too. Wassailing is a Medieval pastime, when ancient anglo-saxons kicked off the beginning of winter by creating ciders from their apple harvests. They believed that a good cider brought forth good luck and good health for the new year. Of course, their celebrations flowed well into Yuletide and the Winter Solstice, too. The term mulling actually comes from the boiling temperatures needed to create the cider, as well as, the traditional spices for flavoring (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar, nutmeg, apples, etc.). Mulled Cider also stores well, long term, and has a lower alcohol threshold than Mulled Wines. In fact, there is the traditional mulled apple cider that tiny tots have been enjoying for hundreds of years, and of course, us grown tots can add the mulling spices to some soothing wine, rum, or bourbon.

On these festive, warm notes, check out the books below for recipes or ideas to enjoy the scrumptious warm drinks, but don’t forget that there are also cozy tales to thumb through as your sipping away. In fact, here at the Floyd County Library, we have several stories that include festive drinking to keep the reading fires burning during this holiday, winter season. So, whether your tastes flow to fiction or nonfiction, we have you covered. Wrap yourself in a fluffy blanket, crack open the spine of a Mulled Cider or Wine filled mystery, and sip away on your brew.

Title details for Winter Cocktails by Maria del Mar Sacasa - Available