Switchel (Caribbean Honey Ginger Drink)
Switchel is a refreshing drink made from raw honey, ginger, and apple cider vinegar. This sweet and tart beverage has a long history of being used as extra hydration for field workers, and recently it has been coming back into popularity!
DISCLOSURE: This article contains affiliate links. We received a copy of the book mentioned in the article. All opinions are our own.
What Is Switchel?
Switchel is a drink that combines apple cider vinegar and water with honey (or molasses or maple syrup) and ginger.
In the last few years it has become popular in hipster circles as an alternative to kombucha, but it actually has quite a long history.
Healing Honey
We were introduced to switchel by our friend Dawn Combs in her newest book "Sweet Remedies: Healing Herbal Honeys".
Dawn is an herbalist, beekeeper, and the owner of Mockingbird Meadows farm where she specializes in herb and honey combos that are tasty and great for health.
Her book "Sweet Remedies: Healing Herbal Honeys" gives anyone the ability to create the herbal honey remedies that she has spent years perfecting. It is a magnificent book, and we are so looking forward to trying many of the recipes for things like herbal honey spreads, oxymels, and deserts!
Honey has been used around the world for its healing properties since ancient times, and Dawn brings these traditional uses into her creations.
On top of all the recipes, Dawn helps us to understand the proper way to use honey, and why it needs to be treated with care. Her descriptions of the production process really left us with a new respect for our friendly bees that give us this sweet elixir.
(You can connect with Dawn more on Facebook or Instagram.)
Switchel History
One of the recipes we came across in her book was switchel. When we saw it, we got excited about sharing this historic beverage with you, our readers.
Switchel came from the Caribbean in the 15th century. It was a drink that workers carried into the fields to help them cool down during hot days.
We also find switchel, by the name of haymaker's punch, in the American colonies. It was a popular summer drink in New England in the 17th century.
What Are The Benefits Of Switchel?
There is definitely a reason that switchel has been used for ages to hydrate and nourish hard field workers.
Raw apple cider vinegar can help balance pH levels and improve digestion, boost immunity, and help hydrate the body and support gut health. Apple cider vinegar is also rich in potassium and magnesium, which are essential electrolytes. This makes switchel a wonderful, natural electrolyte drink, a replacement for commercial sports drinks.
Raw honey contains amino acids, minerals and, enzymes. (If using maple syrup to sweeten your switchel which is a common variation, it contains additional antioxidants and minerals.)
Fresh ginger is also good for digestion and a powerful anti-inflammatory agent.
What Does Switchel Taste Like?
The traditional recipe for switchel packs quite a punch. It's kind of like ginger beer, but with a tart, apple cider vinegar punch.
The recipe Dawn provides in her book is 1 part apple cider vineger, 1 part water, 1 part raw honey, and 1 oz (slightly over 1 Tbsp) of grated fresh ginger.
From this base, you can see that the drink is tangy from the vinegar, quite sweet from the honey, and zesty from the ginger.
For our recipe below, we've dialed it back to meet our tastes. We're not huge fans of the flavor of apple cider vinegar, but we love ginger. So, our switchel is balanced enough to mask the punch of the apple cider vinegar, but it does give a good ginger kick. We've also dialed the sweetness back to just enough to be sweet without being syrupy.
That being said, feel free to play around with your switchel to get a taste that suits you.
Many people also like to add a splash of lemon juice to the mixture, which would definitely be a nice addition.
How To Use Switchel
While you can definitely drink switchel simply chilled, like field workers used to, there are also some other fun ways to enjoy it!
- Mix with alcohol for a healthy(er) cocktail.
- Add seltzer water instead of plain water to give it extra fizz.
- Mix with lemonade for a fun tart twist.
This recipe easily doubles or more, and it is great for making big batches to store in the refrigerator, particularly during summer months.
You could also make a concentrated version (with less water) for easier storage. Then when you want to drink it, you can dilute it with water or seltzer as desired.
Switchel (Caribbean Honey Ginger Drink)
Switchel is a refreshing drink made from raw honey, ginger, and apple cider vinegar. It is quite hydrating, full of probiotics, electrolytes, and other health benefits. Our recipe is adapted from Dawn Combs' recipe in her book "Sweet Remedies: Healing Herbal Honeys".
Ingredients
- 1c water
- 3 tablespoon raw honey
- ½ c apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a glass mason jar.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
This recipe stores well in the refrigerator for a week or two.
You could also make a concentrated version of this recipe (with less water) for easier storage. Then when you want to drink it, you can dilute it with water or seltzer as desired.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1cAmount Per Serving: Calories: 112Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 0gSugar: 26gProtein: 0g
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
