Nature’s Nectar Holiday Wassail

Last Updated on December 22, 2023

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand’ring
So fair to be seen.

 

Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year.

You’re probably familiar with those song lyrics. Sometimes the word “a-wassailing” is replaced by other words such as “wandering” or “caroling.” Maybe that’s because a lot of people these days don’t talk much about drinking wassail or going wassailing during the Christmas season.

Wassail comes from an Old Norse greeting that means “be in good health” or “be fortunate.” It eventually came to be connected with giving a toast, and later the term referred to a drink itself: a spiced ale, typically served out of a single large bowl. Early versions consisted of warm mead with crab apples, and later it was mulled cider with sugar and spices. Today, the drink often consists of wine or fruit juice, sometimes with apples and oranges added.

In parts of England, wassailing was part of a ceremony that consisted of going into orchards and singing and drinking to the health of the trees on the Twelfth Night, or the Twelfth Day of Christmas. It was meant to “awaken” apple cider trees and frighten off evil spirits so the fall harvest would be good. The tradition often included placing bread soaked in ale on tree branches to thank the trees, which is where we reportedly get the tradition of “toasting” someone with a drink.

Aldi is giving its fans the opportunity to enjoy wassail this year. They’re selling large bottles of holiday wassail as a limited-time special.

Nature’s Nectar Holiday Wassail is an Aldi Find, which means it’s in stores for a short time. Each store receives one shipment, and after that sells out, it’s gone unless Aldi decides to bring it back next holiday season. You can’t order this online from Aldi if it’s sold out at your local store.

Nature’s Nectar Holiday Wassail cost $2.99 for a 64-fluid-ounce bottle at the time of publication.

The label describes this as “a spice flavored juice beverage blend from concentrate.” The bottle instructs to chill and shake well before serving. This should be refrigerated after opening, and it should be consumed within 7-10 days after opening. It is pasteurized, and it’s kosher certified.

Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

This contains 21% juice. This contains filtered water, sugar, apple juice concentrate, citric acid, cherry juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, black currant juice concentrate, cinnamon extract, nutmeg extract, natural flavors, clove extract, orange extract, cardamom extract, and ginger extract.

One bottle contains eight 8-ounce servings. One serving has 130 calories, no fat, 30 mg of sodium (1% DV), 33 grams of total carbohydrates (12% DV), 33 grams of total sugars, and 28 grams of added sugars (55% DV). With all the sugar this contains, it’s definitely something to enjoy in moderation.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the bottle is the scent. This smells strongly of spices such as ginger and nutmeg. It has a fruity, apple flavor with very strong notes of nutmeg, clove, and ginger — basically a potent spiced apple cider.

The bottle recommends serving this chilled, and that’s how I initially tried it. However, I also tried it warmed, and I prefer it that way. With all the “warm” spices such as cinnamon that it contains, it just seems better when it’s heated a bit. Served warm, it reminds me of the spiced apple cider my grandmother used to simmer on her stovetop when we’d visit her during the holidays. (Except this Aldi version doesn’t have melted Red Hots candies like grandma used to put in hers.)

The Verdict:

Nature’s Nectar Holiday Wassail is a juice blend featuring apple juice and other fruit juices from concentrate along with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. This is a strongly spiced cider-like drink. The bottle says to serve it chilled, but we actually prefer it slightly warmed.