Wassail with Tea (Non Alcoholic Christmas Punch)

Craving a little nostalgia in your holiday celebrations? You’re not the only one. Old timey classics, like my mom’s Relish Tray, are making a comeback — and so is wassail with tea.

This traditional Christmas punch has seen many iterations over the years as a spiced ale or cider that has evolved with the times. This one is super delicious!

You’ll steep spice tea in the fruit juice, then add a bunch of fun and festive garnishes, like orange slices and a fresh cranberry or two. You won’t miss the booze in this non alcoholic Christmas punch! 

Give your next party a little extra holiday spirit with this easy Christmas punch recipe. I love it warm with a cinnamon stick floating in it, but you can also serve it cold with ice cubes and sparkling water.

Why Make This Christmas Punch

It’s easy. While the ingredients list looks long, that’s mainly the cute garnishes. This Christmas punch is really very simple. Toss a bunch of stuff in a pot on the stove or in the crockpot and walk away.

It’s delicious! Packed with rich flavors from the spices, you won’t miss the alcohol to make this non alcoholic Christmas punch. Wassail with tea is such a festive cheerful drink.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy holiday punch:

a fruit juice blend – I like to use Winter Wassail Punch, fruit juice blend that Trader Joe’s makes every year. Be sure to grab a few bottles this month so that you can enjoy this festive punch all winter long! You can use another fruit juice blend if you prefer. I’d recommend something like a cranberry juice cocktail, pomegranate juice, or this new mulled blackberry-pear blend.

apple juice – I buy bottled juice whenever it goes on sale at Ralphs. You can also substitute 100% cranberry juice, orange juice, or pineapple juice if that’s what you have.

spiced tea – Wassail with tea is a great way to use up your tea stash! You can use a spiced or cinnamon tea, but I imagine that lemon or ginger would also be delicious. I really like Good Earth Sweet & Spicy which is caffeine free. 

garnish – I love garnishing this non alcoholic Christmas punch with sliced oranges, cinnamon sticks, whole cranberries, and cloves.

Variation – If you’d like to serve this holiday drink cold, cool the steeped juice and add it to the punch bowl. Be sure to add ice and sparkling water along with the other ingredients for a fun holiday spritz. If you’d like it sweeter, you can add ginger ale, lime soda, or sparkling apple cider instead of the apple juice. An ice ring dotted with cranberries is a fun addition!

Remember using what you have is a great way to do Christmas on a Budget.

Instructions

Here’s how to make Wassail with Tea:

• In the crock of a slow cooker, combine the punch, apple juice, and water. Add the tea bags and 1 orange sliced as well as the cranberries, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Cover and turn on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.
• Serve the warm Christmas punch with the second orange, sliced, for garnish.

Variation

To make this as a cold drink: Steep the tea bags in hot water for 5 minutes. Add to the punch and apple juice in a pitcher and chill until cold. Serve with garnishes over ice. Add sparkling water, ginger ale, or lime soda, if desired to your wassail with tea.