Switchel

Oh switchel. I bet you haven’t heard of that one before. It’s spicy, tangy, refreshing, and oh so good. I’m not sure any drink has a cooler name, except maybe bumbo, but that’s for another time.

I recently found out about switchel from the YouTube channel Tasting History by Max Miller which he dubbed switchel as The Farmer’s Gatorade of the 19th century. You should give it a watch, because he dives into the research of this drink. It’s not too long, I promise!

Switchel was made by the gallons and held in cold water (think streams) so the workers could have a refreshing drink in the late afternoon. It’s water, apple cider vinegar, sugar syrup (honey, maple syrup, etc), and ginger powder (sometimes nutmeg in place of the ginger). Some versions include rum. You really should watch the episode because Miller dug up some really cool quotes about drinking switchel in congress and in the courts.

It’s not often I can’t wrap my head around what something will taste like after I know the ingredients, but this one had me stumped. I took a sniff and it smelled a bit sour and a bit fresh from the ginger. I hesitantly took a sip and was like “Bam! Ginger Kombucha! Give me more”. 

If you know me, I can down kombucha like nobody’s business, but it can get expensive. However, switchel is a small fraction of the cost and you can make unlimited flavors (although traditionally it was ginger or nutmeg). Disclaimer: Kombucha does have probiotics and switchel does not. I read that drinking too much of apple cider vinegar in a day can deplete your potassium levels

Switchel Ingredients
6 c of water
5 Tbl of honey or maple syrup
⅓ c of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp ginger powder (or nutmeg)

Switchel Directions
Add all ingredients in a pitcher and stir or whisk to incorporate all ingredients. Refrigerate the drink until cold. Give it a quick stir before serving.

Notes
From what I understand, cane syrup was not a traditional sweetener used. However, I bet that if whoever made switchel had access to cane syrup, they would have approved it as a sweetener.

Miller gave the tip to use filtered apple cider vinegar because it will make a prettier drink.