When I was suddenly reminded that the Super Bowl is days away, I realized that — not only do I not know who’s playing this year, not only have I never watched an actual sports-related moment of any Super Bowl, not only did I have to look up the event on Wikipedia to make sure it was two distinct words, not Superbowl or Super-bowl — but I’m not even sure I would know it involved football if I didn’t see some men in tight pants during the commercials (which, incidentally, I do watch).

That said, I fully appreciate this great cultural tradition, and I hope that although I can almost promise that I won’t be there, I’ll be drinking well during the occasion.

But what to have? With the weather at 20 degrees and below, cracking open a can of ice-cold Budweiser or Coors, while traditional, might not be as appealing as usual. In lieu of this, I suggest mulled beer, a warm concoction that sometimes goes by the name of Wassail, or, depending on the type, Lambswool.

Although you probably don’t know, mulled beer has been common for most of the brew’s history. It’s decline may have been either because of the advent of the icebox — suddenly beer could be kept refrigerated before serving — or because brewing improved to the point that most beers no longer needed to be supplemented with spices to be drinkable.

The general recipe for mulled beer is simple: Combine a few pints of quality ale — if you want to go local, both Ithaca and Saranac brewing companies have some excellent ones — with some nutmeg, ginger, cloves or cinnamon, then heat until hot and somewhat foamy: You don’t want to boil it. Stir in a little bit of sugar — some recipes use a corresponding amount of honey — and perhaps some sherry or brandy, then leave to let the flavors combine. After this, strain out anything you wouldn’t want to drink (a cinnamon stick, for example), make sure the beer is warm, and serve.

A friend of mine made Wassail over the holidays; when I asked him for his expertise on the subject, he obliged with the following recipe:

Nut Brown Wassail

6 bottles Ithaca Beer Company nut brown ale

Citrus zest or fresh rinds or ¼ cup lemon juice

Simmer a bottle of beer with the sugar and spices for 10 minutes, making sure to stir the mixture (beware of overfoaming).

Add the other bottles of beer, the sherry and cider, simmer five minutes.

Because the recipes for these drinks are so wildly varied, feel free to experiment with spices, beers, and other ingredients until you find something that you and your guests like — if you want, you can even buy prepackaged mulling spices.

As with the many styles of football, one of which you’ll be watching on Sunday, your improvisation might be the one that makes it a whole new ball game. RLD