Local Hipsters to hold 'Wassail-thon' & Cocktail Challenge Sunday, Dec. 13th

Yes, that tingle in your spine is telling you true: Wassail is back and better than ever, and this year, it will be paired with the Holiday Cocktail Challenge.

You know, wassail -- that ancient English holiday tradition that a select group of monastics revived in an underground chantry in Chicago in the early 1990s before smuggling the secret recipe to New York in the wheel well of a Chevy Impala.

Wait -- you've never heard the Story of Wassail?!

Well, if you do want to hear the tale -- and be inducted into the Circle of the Holiday Spirits -- you'll  have to come to Wassail 2009, which will take place under the guidance of Brother O'Veal on Sunday, Dec. 13, starting a 4 p.m., at Grill Club Headquarters in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

This year, we'll be pairing the traditional retelling of the Story of Wassail with the annual Holiday Cocktail Challenge.

Hold on now -- you've never heard of the Holiday Cocktail Challenge?!

That's when the best and the brightest amateur barkeeps and professional tipplers compete to make the very best cocktail embodying the holiday spirit, winning both acclaim and prizes.

So, to sum up: come for the wassail, compete in the Cocktail Challenge (or just drink), and imbibe the spirits of the holiday season.

Sunday, Dec. 13
4 p.m.
Grill Club Headquarters