Pressure Cooker Hot Mulled Cider a/k/a Wassail is a hot drink consisting of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and topped with fresh orange slices.

Pressure Cooker Hot Mulled Cider

Pressure Cooker Hot Mulled Cider a/k/a Wassail is a hot drink consisting of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and topped with fresh orange slices.

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What is Wassail?

The word “Wassail” comes from Old English and is hot mulled cider, which is traditionally drunk during wassailing.

The drink is often associated with Yuletide and consumed from a wassailing bowl. It is supposed to ensure a good apple harvest the following year.

People would go house to house and offer Wassail in exchange for gifts. The tradition has changed a bit and now called “caroling,”

The song “Here We Come A-Wassailing” is heard during the winter holidays.

Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Hot Wassail

Ingredients for Hot Mulled Cider

Apples – use a variety, whichever you like or are on sale!
Oranges
Cinnamon Sticks
Whole Allspice
Whole Cloves
Cardamom Pods
Nutmeg
Dark Brown Sugar – gives a nicer taste than light brown sugar.

How to Make Hot Mulled Cider / Wassail in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker.

Apples are first cooked in an Instant Pot DUO Plus, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker.

The juice is squeezed from the apples back into the cooking pot.

Spices and cider are then added and then served hot.

The drink is topped with orange slices.

Fresh Apples and Cider

Traditional Hot Wassail

Originating from Suffolk, the traditional English Wassail recipes first bakes the apples,which are stuffed with spices.
The apples are kept in the pot and apple cider and more spices are added.
Sherry and port is often also added as part of the drink.
Baked apples are left in the drink and the liquid is scooped into glasses.

The Yorkshire version is called Lamb’s Wool and ale is used in place of apple cider. The drink is served once the apples burst open. In the mulled ale, the pulp looks like lamb’s wool and how the name came to be.

Squeeze Out Apple Juice

This version is a bit different from the traditional Wassail.

Instead of baked apples, the juice is extracted from the cooked apples to form the base. This adds to the freshness of the Pressure Cooker Wassail and eliminates the need for an oven.

This Pressure Cooker Hot Mulled Cider can be made with only fresh apples by making a few batches.

Or it can be made with fresh apples and supplemented with apple cider to save some time.

Cheesecloth is used to squeeze out the juice from the apples.

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

The spices inside the spice ball are optional.

Some people don’t like to drink around the spices, so this makes it easier to pull the spice ball right out of the pot.

The freshness of the orange comes through nicely, as they are added after pressure has been released.

For recipes using cinnamon sticks and longer spices, this oblong spice ball is super nice.

Floating Orange Slices

Traditional Wassail recipes add eggs, Madeira and Ale.

I’ll leave that up to your own personal discretion. 🙂

Pressure Cooker Instant Pot Wassail

The scent of this Pressure Cooker Hot Mulled Cider will fill your home and make it smell so wonderful.

Garnish each glass with an orange slice and a cinnamon stick..

More Holiday Recipes to Enjoy:

Pressure Cooker Cocktail Sausage Weenies

Pressure Cooker Maple Glazed Holiday Ham

Pressure Cooker Orange Cranberry French Toast {Bread Pudding}

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

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Here is the handy printable recipe: