Christmas Wassail

Ingredients
 6 cups apple cider
 2 cups cranberry juice
 3 oranges
 1/4 cup sugar
 1 tsp. whole allspice
 6 sticks whole cinnamon
 16 whole cloves
 1 tsp. aromatic bitters
 1 cup rum
 additional whole cloves for studding oranges

Preparation
Insert as many whole cloves as desired into oranges; set aside.

Place allspice, cinnamon sticks and 16 whole cloves in the center of a cheesecloth square. Draw up corners so it becomes a small sack and secure with string. Set aside.

In a large pan, combine cider, cranberry juice, sugar, bag of spices and clove-studded oranges. Heat just to boiling, then immediately reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add rum and bitters; remove from heat. Place oranges in a punch bowl, remove and discard spice sack, and pour wassail over the oranges.

Makes 18 to 20 punch-cup-sized servings.