Christmas Wassail

This is an old family favorite. I got this wassail recipe from my grandma, and it's the best one I've ever seen. The spices need to steep for an hour or more, and they make the entire house smell divine. Oh it's good! I like to keep a little pot of spices simmering even when I'm not making wassail just because it smells so good. The fact that it uses whole spices is nice too, because it means you don't wind up with yucky-tasting dregs at the bottom of your cup.

Cutchen's Christmas Wassail
1 qt. water
2-1/4 c. sugar
10 whole cloves
8 allspice berries
2 sticks cinnamon
2 qts. apple cider
1 qt. orange juice
2 c. lemon juice

Mix water and sugar in a small pot. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add cloves, allspice berries, and cinnamon. Let stand for 1 hour or more. Remove spices and transfer sugar-spice water to a large 1-1/2-2 gallon stock pot. Stir in cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. Serve warm.