Image courtesy of sushiesque

Drink in the Details is a monthly column highlighting spirits and classic cocktails written by DC Craft Bartenders Guild members Adam Bernbach (Bar Pilar) and Chantal Tseng (Tabard Inn).

The times, they are always a-changin. Similar to the Aquanet hair craze in the 80s, or pulling up next to some friends at the drive-in movie, the idea of an entire array of hot drinks might seem a bit musty and forgotten to today’s bar-goers. But back before the first blocks of ice were cut from frozen lakes for bartenders to chip down further, everyday folks would commune at taverns and share in any number of hot beverages.

While the advent of central heating has removed one reason for these warm libations, the disappearance of these drinks has stolen from us a great many tasty possibilities in the chillier months. With old and new recipes of mulled wines and hot ciders growing in popularity, what else have we been missing out on? Perhaps some recipes have been lost in translation from ancestral traditions traveling across the sea, immigrating to the new world from long ago? Many cocktail recipes date back to classic books of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With the resurgence in these books about the history of cocktails and the art of mixology, we thought it would be fun to talk about these “other hot drinks”; while low temperatures outside keep us craving warmth on the inside.

Everyone has heard of wassail through the old Christmas carol that goes, “Here we come a-wassailing, among the leaves so green… Love and joy come to you, and to you your wassail, too…”; In the Wassail song, carolers go door-to-door drinking and sharing hot spiced ale and spreading cheer into the new year. Back in Ye Olde England, the mulled ale was infused with a variety of spices, perfect during the colder seasons since spices were often considered good for you, easing the build up of phlegm and aiding in digestion. That might be why wassail translates to “good health.” Now we realize the holiday spirit is waning in February, but the thought of wassail makes us curious: why has Christmas caroling as a time-honored tradition mostly died out? One can imagine that the tradition of caroling may have died out some due to the more contemporary model of being “wassail-less.” Just a thought.