Lambswool

Show: At Shakespeare's Table

print recipe
convert measurements
convert ingredients
recipe index

Lambswool is another version of a hot spiced alcohol for a cold festive night. Some say the name derives from the custom of floating toast on the top, which when moist with punch fluffed into lambswool. The roasted apple halves give a similar effect.

5 tart apples
1 cup hard cider (such as Woodchuck or Hornsby's)
4 pints of dark ale (such as Newcastle Brown)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon whole cloves (not ground)
one lemon
one orange
sugar to taste

Preheat oven to 350° F. Peel, core, and halve apples. Place cut side down in a glass baking dish. Pour cider over. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar on top and dot with butter. Bake for 45 minutes until very soft. Remove from oven and set aside.

Peel lemon and orange with a vegetable peeler. Cut peel into 1-2 inch pieces. Put ale, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and lemon and orange peel into a medium saucepan and heat gently over a low flame until warm. Add sugar to taste. Pour into a serving bowl and top with apple halves. Serve in mugs or other heat-proof glassware.