Healthy Obsession: These Mulling Spices are the Shortcut to Perfectly Toasty Holiday Drinks

What exactly is “wassail?” Legend has it that the tradition started when a maiden toasted a Saxon prince with a bowl of wine and the words “waes hael,” an Anglo-Saxon phrase meaning “good health.”

And so the ancient holiday custom of “wassailing” was born. Traditionally, it’s involved drinking hot mulled wine, singing Christmas carols, and generally being merry. Today, the spicy, steamy mulled cider so many of us enjoy this time of year is itself often referred to as “wassail.”

Simply Organic’s Mulling Spice Blend makes it easy to whip up your own and get into the holiday spirit. Mix it into warm red wine, cider, or tea for a mulled beverage with notes of cinnamon, vanilla, clove, orange, and nutmeg. Then toast to “waes hael” all around—here’s to good health come the New Year.