{"id":138,"date":"2023-12-22T02:25:55","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T02:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/squarespace.joannawhiteart.com\/wp\/2023\/12\/22\/aldi-holiday-wassail-spiced-punch-review\/"},"modified":"2025-03-28T13:16:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T17:16:44","slug":"aldi-holiday-wassail-spiced-punch-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/22\/aldi-holiday-wassail-spiced-punch-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Aldi Holiday Wassail Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Author\u2019s note: I have no affiliation with <\/em>Aldi<\/em><\/a>, and I wasn\u2019t compensated in any way for this review.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here I come, a-wassailing\u2026.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re like me, \u201cwassail\u201d is only something you know about from Christmas carols and movies. I\u2019ve had my share of spiced apple ciders and festive punches, but never any actual \u201cwassail.\u201d So, here\u2019s my total newbie take on this variant from Aldi Nature\u2019s Nectar store brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Historically, \u201cwassail\u201d is a hot, mulled punch<\/a> \u2014 usually with a cider, wine, or mead base of some kind. Originally, wassail involved apples, and included citrus, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It was used as a good-will toast, in singing and drinking rituals, and sometimes as a door-to-door holiday well-wishing.<\/a> Thanks Wikipedia!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not gonna lie, I\u2019ve secretly always wanted to go \u201ca-wassailing.\u201d But I live in Florida, and that\u2019s definitely not<\/em> a \u201cthing\u201d here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, it\u2019s the sort of \u201cthing\u201d you\u2019d read about Florida Man doing while carrying a live alligator and stealing garden gnomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aldi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This Aldi version of Wassail is a deep reddish-pink color, and doesn\u2019t taste as fruity as I expected. The first two ingredients are water and sugar, but it also includes juice concentrates, such as apple, cherry, lemon, and black currant. Compared to apple cider, it seems thinner, and has no discernable texture. It\u2019s sweet, but light-tasting. The label says it is 21% juice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Overhead<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I love the spice flavor, which includes cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, orange, cardamon, and ginger \u2014 but there\u2019s also \u201cnatural flavor,\u201d which might be giving the slightly odd aftertaste. If you don\u2019t like clove or cardamon, this may not be the beverage for you \u2014 I adore both of these, so I was delighted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Serve <\/strong>Aldi Holiday Wassail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I tried this two different ways: chilled, and hot. I liked it best chilled \u2014 it tastes pleasantly sweet and spicy, although it awkwardly straddles a \u201cjuice\u201d and \u201cnot juice\u201d identity. It reminded me a little bit of a flavored iced tea, except there was no tea, and no caffeine kick. I really wanted more juice taste, I guess. As a hot beverage, it was \u201cok,\u201d but the thinner consistency wasn\u2019t as satisfying as most hot apple ciders. Maybe I\u2019ve just been drinking especially thick apple ciders, IDK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I tried mixing this with ginger ale (more specifically, a Fever Tree Ginger Beer), and that was \u201cnice.\u201d The ginger ale dilutes the spice taste, which made it less exciting, but the fizzy-hot ginger carbonated taste was a fun combination. This isn\u2019t very important, but diluting it with ginger ale makes it a light pink, which is not as festive as the red color it appears in the bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Overhead<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If I was serving this at a party, I might buy a frozen juice concentrate \u2014 perhaps orange or cranberry juice \u2014 and add it to the punch to thicken it and increase the \u201cfruit\u201d taste. I\u2019m personally a teetotaler, but if I wasn\u2019t, I\u2019d probably want to add some alcohol to this. It just seems to need a little something \u201cextra,\u201d I guess. I made mine fancy with some cinnamon sticks and dried persimmon slice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Nutrition<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nutrition Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are 8 servings per 32 ounce bottle of 8 ounces each. There are 130 calories per serving, and 33 grams of sugar, of which 28 are added sugars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My 2-quart bottle cost $2.99 at my local Aldi, which is a \u201cgood\u201d price. Per serving, that\u2019s about 38 cents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelf-Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The label recommends using within 7 days of opening the bottle. Unopened, mine expired about 8 months after purchasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients<\/strong> in Aldi Holiday Wassail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I love that there are no artificial flavors or colors in this beverage. I also love that it is not sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, but rather sugar and fruit juices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the ingredients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n