I’ve been making switchel for decades. Quite a few years ago, I introduced this summertime drink to the Rural Sprout community, and our readers loved it. As we head into the dog days of summer, I figured it was a good time to update the recipe. This easy-to-make, rather old-fashioned drink is still the best way to knock your thirst out cold on the hottest of hot summer days.
What the Heck is Switchel?
Plain and simple, switchel is a lightly fermented drink made from honey, lemon, plenty of ginger and apple cider vinegar. It’s a great summer sipper when you’re extra thirsty.
Don’t get nervous because I used the word “fermented,” we’re not talking kombucha or some eight-week lacto-fermentation process. We’re talking measure some ingredients into a jar, put a lid on it, shake the dickens out of it, and then let it hang out on your counter for 24-36 hours.
Look, I’ve been to your house. I know you can forget about something on your counter for a day or two.
(My problem is remembering my switchel jar by the end of those 36 hours.)
I grew up drinking switchel because my dad was a bit of a weirdo-elder-beatnik-off-grid-homesteader. If it was “the way they used to do things,” he was all about it. Switchel, I could get behind. An outhouse in January, not so much. Now, as an adult, it’s a favorite for sweaty days working in the garden, as well as a non-alcoholic alternative for social gatherings.
What Does Switchel Taste Like?
Well, to be fair, it kind of depends. If you follow the recipe exactly, you’ll end up with a sweet-tart, ginger-forward drink that makes you smack your lips as a good lemonade does.
But, and this is the important thing to note, my recipe is just a place to start.
You can easily change it to suit your tastes, adding more or less of the flavors you like or don’t like. Too tart? Dial back the vinegar. Too much ginger? Use a quarter less next time. Not enough ginger? Add more! Do you want it sweeter? Less sweet? Tune in your honey. You get the idea.
Switchel is a fun drink to play with because you can tweak it to suit your tastes.
Despite only requiring four ingredients, switchel is infinitely customizable. Add more vinegar, or dial up the honey, or really make it zing with extra ginger. Toss in a cinnamon stick, cloves, anise or cardamom seed pods. I threw in a handful of blueberries to make blueberry switchel (strawberry switchel is next on my list), I’ve swapped lemon for lime in the past, and used maple syrup instead of honey, all with tasty results.
A Great NA Alternative for Social Occasions
Sobriety is in! Craft breweries are drying up, non-alcoholic beer is on the rise, the nation’s whiskey makers are in a panic, and alcohol sales are down across the board. It seems, as a nation, we’ve finally had our fill of booze. (I still love a good G&T when it’s hot out, though.)
As perimenopause has reared its ugly head, I’ve found that I like sleeping through the night a whole lot more than I like alcohol. But I’m also not a fan of most of the mocktails you find these days. They are often too sweet, relying on fruit juice for most of their flavor. I want something a bit more complex in my glass if I’m going to forego alcohol.
When I’m entertaining, I like to be able to offer a non-alcoholic option to my guests that’s a bit more interesting than club soda or iced tea.
And switchel fits the bill.
I love a highball or a wine glass filled with cracked ice, switchel topped with club soda and a dash of bitters. Give it a try, and let me know what you think.
Naturally Occurring Electrolytes in Switchel
If you’re not big on artificial ingredients or flavors like “Fruit Punch” that taste as though the makers have never eaten a piece of fruit in their lives (looking at you, Gatorade), switchel can be a tasty way to replace lost electrolytes. Ginger root, lemon and honey all contain potassium, calcium, and magnesium, so you’re already doing good. However, the most important electrolyte lost through sweating is sodium.
If you want to turn your glass of switchel into a hard-working sports drink, it’s easy to do. You can add half a teaspoon of salt to your jar when you mix up your switchel. Personally, I wait until I’m pouring myself a glass of switchel and then add a good pinch of salt. Pink Himalayan or Celtic sea salt are great options, as they also have trace minerals.
Now go bench press 1.5 cubic yard bags of potting soil!
Switchel in the Cold Months
Switchel really shines in the summer, when the sweat is pouring off of you, and you need something to cut through your thirst. (It’s quite versatile, it works just as well when you’re lying in your hammock, reading a book and doing absolutely no sweating whatsoever.)
But don’t let the summery nature of this drink fool you.
With the lemon, honey, apple cider vinegar and plenty of ginger, switchel also makes a wonderful warming drink in the cold months. Warm it up and drink it hot and steamy with extra honey at the first sign of a cold. I can’t say that there’s any evidence that it helps, but it sure makes me feel better. Add a splash of whiskey for a warming take on the classic hot toddy.
Grab a 2-quart mason jar, and I’ll show you how to make it. These days, I love a recipe that gives me weight measurements, so I can use my food scale instead of busting out the measuring cups and spoons. I’ve updated the recipe to include both.
An important note: the finished switchel is meant to be mixed with water or sparkling water in a ratio of 1:1, with plenty of ice. In essence, we’re making a switchel concentrate.
You Will Need:
- A 2-quart mason jar with a lid
- Fresh ginger root (a knob about 2”)
- Honey
- Apple Cider Vinegar, the kind that includes the mother, not the clear kind
- 2 lemons
- Water
Okay, let’s get started
Use the edge of a spoon to peel the skin from the ginger. (I know, it’s a pretty great trick, right?)
We need 25 grams or roughly one heaping tablespoon of grated ginger. (The finer you grate your ginger, the more juice it will release and the cloudier your switchel will be. This is okay!)
I got tired of busting my knuckles on my old box grater, so I got one of these inexpensive rotary cheese graters. Holy cow, this thing is great! It’s got several different drums so that I can do anything from block cheese to parmesan to chocolate curls, to ginger. I love it so much, I bought one for my daughter and son-in-law, too. Needless to say, it makes short work of ginger, which can be tough to grate by hand because it’s so fibrous.
Next, squeeze the juice of two lemons into the jar. (This is the citrus squeezer I’m using here.)
Now pour 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar into the jar.
Add 3/4 cup or 126g of honey into your jar.
Put the lid on it tightly and shake it well until all of the honey is dissolved and the ingredients are well incorporated.
Finally, fill the jar with water to about 2” from the top. We’re going to leave this space in case you have an extra happy ferment. It’s less likely to bubble over.
Put the lid back on the jar and give it all another good shake. Now unscrew the lid until it’s fingertip tight. Place the jar in your kitchen where it’s warm. Keep an eye on it and give it a burp (unscrew the lid and release the gases) if you notice that the lid is starting to bulge. That’s a good thing, by the way, it means you’ve got fermentation happening.
It takes about 24 to 36 hours for the switchel to develop a nice, zippy fizz to it. It all depends on how warm it is and the number of naturally occurring yeasts in your mix. If your switchel isn’t super fizzy, that’s okay; it’s not meant to create much carbonation on its own. If you want bubbles, you can mix it with sparkling water or club soda.
To finish off your switchel mix, strain it into another clean jar, lid it, label it and store it in the fridge. Your switchel will keep in the refrigerator for a month, but you’ll probably drink it all up well before then.
When you want a glass of switchel, mix it one to one with water, sparkling water, club soda, or fruit juice, and plenty of ice. Switchel is best served ice cold.
Give it a go, I have a feeling you’ll find your summers always include a jar of switchel fermenting on your kitchen counter. If you find yourself making switchel quite often, may I introduce you to vinegar drinking shrubs? They are another delightfully quirky and delicious old-fashioned drink.
Switchel
An old-fashioned summery punch, meant to knock out your thirst on the hottest of days.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, with the mother
- 2 lemons
- 3/4 cup honey (126g)
- 1 heaping teaspoon of grated fresh ginger (25g)
- water
Instructions
- Use the edge of a spoon to peel the skin from the ginger. We need 20 grams or roughly one rounded tablespoon of grated ginger.
- Add the ginger, the juice of two lemons, apple cider vinegar, and honey into the jar.
- Put the lid on tightly and shake well to combine all the ingredients. Be sure honey has completely dissolved.
- Unscrew the lid and fill with cool water to about 2" from the top of the jar.
- Put the lid back on the jar, and shake again. Place the jar on your counter for 24-36 hours.
- Release any built-up pressure in the jar by unsealing and then resealing the jar.
- Strain finished switchel into clean 2-quart jar, seal the jar and label it and store it in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Notes
To make a glass of switchel, mix your switchel concentrate with water, sparkling water, club soda, or fruit juice and plenty of ice. Enjoy!
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