Cupola House Wassail Recipe from Edenton, NC

 

Cupola House Wassail Recipe

1-gallon apple cider

2 (12 ounce) cans frozen lemonade

1 tablespoon ground cloves

1/3 teaspoon ground allspice

4 sticks cinnamon

5 dried apple rings

1/2 orange, thinly sliced

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

1 quart of white wine

Mix the first five ingredients in a large pot. Heat to boiling and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Place fruit in the bottom of the punch bowl. Add wine. Pour cider mixture over fruit and wine. Serve. 

I've had the pleasure of working with Visit Edenton this December promoting it as a  #CountonMeNC travel-friendly destination in 2021. As North Carolina's first colonial capital, this charming town has been making holiday wassail for over 250 years.  The Cupola House, one of the oldest British buildings in the United States, is known for its gardens and wassail. Cupola House Wassail is always served along with delightful cookies when the home is open yearly to the public for the Edenton's Candlelight Tour. 

The Georgian-style home was built-in 1758 for Frances Corbin, an agent for Lord Granville, one of the original eight proprietors, given land by the British crown in the Carolinas. By 1918, the home was in disarray, and a group of Edenton volunteers banned together under the name of The Cupola House Association, purchased the home to preserve it. 

Before becoming the museum it is today, the house was the Chowan County library for forty-five years. In 1971, the house was designated as a Registered Historic National Landmark. 

Edenton's Cupola House has seen many ships come and go in the Albemarle Sounds. The house is available for tour on one of the town's historic walking tours.  The gardens are open to the public daily.

 

The Cupola House Wassail Recipe is printed in Recipes From St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Edenton, NC. A cookbook printed in 1995 that I found in my mother-in-law's storage unit. I brought it back to life in 2002 and have enjoyed many recipes from this collection. It's probably one of my most favorite North Carolina cookbooks. 

Learn more about this historic North Carolina town to plan your delightful distancing getaway  to Edenton, NC 

Want to pair your wassail with a savory cookie?  You may like these Savoury Cheddar Cookies from Epicure. It's a twist on a Southern Cheese Straw.  Edenton's cookbook recommends cheddar puffs. The recipe ingredients are about the same, but in this NC version, you bake into small balls at 400 for twelve minutes.