Wassail

6 bottles ale
12 small apples
3 whole cloves
3 whole allspice
3 broken cardamom seeds
1 broken 3" cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
1 fifth dry sherry (1 750 ml bottle)

Bake the apples at 350 for 20 minutes, or until tender. Tie the cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and cardamom into a cheesecloth bag, place it with 1 bottle of ale, the ginger and nutmeg, into a kettle and heat gently for 10 minutes. Remove the bag, pour in the rest of the ale, the sugar, and the sherry. Heat for 20 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and float the apples on top. Serve hot.

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