Do you ever find yourself reaching for a glass of cold water after a particularly hot and sweaty garden weeding session and find that water is not quite thirst quenching enough? This Ginger Honey Switchel Recipe is a refreshingly tart, probiotic beverage that is not only thirst quenching, but easy to make with ingredients you may already have at home.
Switchel, which is a traditional drink also known by the names Haymaker Punch and Ginger Water, is made with only a few simple ingredients – ginger, apple cider vinegar, and natural sweetener such as honey, maple syrup, or molasses. Using apple cider that is homemade or contains “the mother” imparts probiotic benefits, while ginger adds a flavor zing, soothes digestion, among other benefits.
Ginger Honey Switchel Recipe
- 2 cups of Water
- 2 TBSP Ginger, chopped
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (I like this brand and this one.)
- 1/4 cup Raw Honey
- Optional: Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon, herbs to flavor
How to Make Ginger Honey Switchel
1) Place your chopped ginger and water in a pot and bring to a boil on the stove. Turn the heat down to simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the ginger to steep in the water for another hour.
2) Strain the ginger water through a fine mesh sieve (like this one) and add the honey and apple cider vinegar, stirring briskly to combine the ingredients.
3) Place your Switchel in the refrigerator to cool. Dilute with water to your preferred level of tart! For an added twist of flavor, try adding a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, or muddling basil or mint and serving over ice!
4) If you would like to add a bit of carbonation to your Switchel, you can either add some sparkling water, or pour the Switchel into a glass flip top bottle like these, and place the bottle in a safe place overnight to naturally ferment a bit.
*Important Note: Carbonation can build up quickly in the glass bottles and the danger of exploding glass is real. For your safety, place the bottles in a wooden or cardboard box or a cooler overnight, do not forget about your switchel, and “burp” the bottles before bed to release a bit of carbonation.
Enjoy this delightfully tart, refreshing, and probiotic beverage while sitting in the shade! And be sure to comment below and let me know how you enjoyed this Ginger Honey Switchel Recipe!
For more probiotic and thirst quenching summer drinks, try these:
Berry Shrub Recipe
Strawberry Chia Water Kefir
Homemade Soda: Three Herbal Recipe
Nettle Beer Recipe
Ginger Honey Switchel
This Ginger Honey Switchel recipe combines apple cider vinegar and honey for a drink that is probiotic and refreshing, and also good for your gut!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of Water
- 2 TBSP Ginger, chopped
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (I like this brand and this one.)
- 1/4 cup Raw Honey
- Optional: Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon, herbs to flavor
Instructions
- Place your chopped ginger and water in a pot and bring to a boil on the stove. Turn the heat down to simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the ginger to steep in the water for another hour.
- Strain the ginger water through a fine mesh sieve (like this one) and add the honey and apple cider vinegar, stirring briskly to combine the ingredients.
- Place your Switchel in the refrigerator to cool. Dilute with water to your preferred level of tart! For an added twist of flavor, try adding a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, or muddling basil or mint and serving over ice!
- If you would like to add a bit of carbonation to your Switchel, you can either add some sparkling water, or pour the Switchel into a glass flip top bottle like these, and place the bottle in a safe place overnight to naturally ferment a bit.
Notes
Carbonation can build up quickly in the glass bottles and the danger of exploding glass is real. For your safety, place the bottles in a wooden or cardboard box or a cooler overnight, do not forget about your switchel, and “burp” the bottles before bed to release a bit of carbonation.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Pin it for Later:
Hi! I’m planning on making this. Is the potential danger of glass bottle explosion only a problem if I add sparkling water or some other carbonated product or do I need to burp the base product regardless of adding anything?
Hi Nina, if you make the recipe as is and place it in the refrigerator and use it within a few days, it will be fine in a glass bottle. If you wish to intentionally add some fizziness, by fermenting it (at room temperature), then you should “burp” the bottles. If you add sparkling water, I would just pour it directly into a glass and drink it right away so you can enjoy the fizz!
This is very intriguing . I have never made switchel but now I am inspired !
Let me know how you like it!!
I’m new to switchel (it’s not a California thing) but I don’t really get how it’s different than a shrub?
A switchel is more of a drink in and of itself, whereas the shrub is generally added to something else, like water or selzer, to dilute it. it’s a bit more syrupy. And shrubs feature a fruit that is preserved in vinegar, whereas a switchel is usually based on a ginger, vinegar, sweetener recipe.
I hope you give them both a try!