This is an exceedingly refreshing beer cocktail that’s absolutely perfect for summer. I took inspiration from several templates: the Paloma (tequila, lime, grapefruit, sugar, soda), Radlers (beer, grapefruit), the Spaghett (domestic lager, Aperol, lemon), and the Michelada (Mexican lager, salt, lime, spice sometimes tomato juice, Clamato and other ingredients).

‘Wassail’ comes from the Middle English wæs hæil, and from the Old Norse before that ves heill meaning something akin to “be you in good health.” This classic medieval beverage, typically made from a combination of cider, ale and, later, fortified wine, has great significance in English drinking history and was popular during the Tudor period. ‘Tis truly supreme with the eggs, but if you must omit them for dietary reasons, ‘twill be delicious all the same.

One of many ale-based proto-cocktails popular in eighteenth-century American taverns, I like to think of the Calibogus as the piney cousin of the Rattle-skull. The original Calibogus would have been a simple mixture of rum and spruce ale (a popular antiscorbutic for sailors), possibly flavored with lime juice and a sweetener like molasses. I decided to adapt this recipe by using ubiquitous, hoppy IPA for the ale component and an apple brandy base because it marries nicely with the ale and citrus.

The flip began as a sailors’ drink and swiftly infiltrated the taverns of England and “British America.” There, it became a hot drink ー a mixture of ale, spirit, egg, sugar and spices, and sometimes other ingredients. Flips were warmed and frothed by submerging a hot iron poker, called a flip-dog or loggerhead, that had been heated in the tavern hearth. If you’re “at loggerheads” with someone, try offering them a mug of this ー ‘tis hard to stay angry with such a comfort in hand.

The flip began as a sailors’ drink and swiftly infiltrated the taverns of England and “British America.” There, it became a hot drink ー a mixture of ale, spirit, egg, sugar and spices, and sometimes other ingredients. Flips were warmed and frothed by submerging a hot iron poker, called a flip-dog or loggerhead, that had been heated in the tavern hearth. If you’re “at loggerheads” with someone, try offering them a mug of this ー ‘tis hard to stay angry with such a comfort in hand.

My friend Rebekah Peppler has a talent for transporting her readers to France. Her books, Apéritif and À Table give us a window into her life in Paris and highlight traditional French food and beverage. When I was perusing her books for this month’s programming, I noticed that her collection of Kir variations is like a mini road trip through France, from Normandy and Brittany to Burgundy, Paris, Champagne, and beyond. So, grab a bottle of crème de cassis, choose your variation(s), and be transported!

Wassail is a very old beverage originally tied to the blessing of the new year’s apple harvest. Here, we’ve reduced the drink to just a few ingredients, but capturing the spirit of the thing quite well, I think.