This recipe is a holiday tradition in my house, made more special by handing my eighty-four-year-old mother the rum and turning my back when she adds it to the drink. I don’t even want to know.

FAIRMONT HOTEL WASSAIL

Boil the following for ten minutes. Then let it steep for an hour. It’s helpful to tie the spices in a piece of muslin cloth so you don’t have to fish them out of the finished drink.

2 cinnamon sticks, broken

1 tablespoon whole cloves

3 tablespoons crystallized ginger (chopped if the pieces are larger than pea-sized)

1 cup of sugar

2 cups of water

Then add the following and serve warm.

1 quart apple cider

2 cups orange juice

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 cup rum (or give the bottle to your mother)