Wassail and mulled wine are very similar. In fact, some people use the names interchangeably. The primary differences are that wassail does not always contain alcohol, whereas mulled wine obviously contains wine. Wassail and mulled cider are also very similar. Wassail usually has multiple fruit juices, whereas mulled cider typically only contains apple juice. Mulled simply means to heat, sweeten, and flavor a beverage with spices. So you can see how there is plenty of room for overlap with all of these warm drinks