Since the celebrations are still going on, the following beverage is drunk as part of the tradition of "wassailing", an ancient English Yuletide drinking ritual that "has been practised in Britain for centuries", notes the National Trust. Ingredients can be scaled down to suit numbers:
6 pints brown ale (3.4 litres)
1 lb (450 g) soft brown sugar
1 large stick cinnamon
1 level teaspoon grated nutmeg
Half level teaspoon ground ginger
2 lemons, thinly sliced
I bottle medium dry sherry (amontillado, for example)
