This hibiscus kombucha is easy to make. The kombucha's vibrant red color and bracing acidity make it particularly delicious. It also has a delicate sweetness.

Once you get tired of buying kombucha at the store, it's time to try your hand at making your own. Soon you'll be looking for new flavors, and this hibiscus kombucha is a great start.

Ginger kombucha is a perennial favorite, and elderberry kombucha is wonderful for immune support, too. But this version, which uses a sweetened hibiscus tea during the second stage of fermentation, is well-loved in our house. 

What's in it?

• A kombucha SCOBY is short for "symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast." It's sometimes called a kombucha mother or mushroom. It's the source of all the beneficial microorganisms. They turn sweet tea into kombucha. 
• Starter tea is a little bit of raw, unpasteurized kombucha. It works with the SCOBY to acidify sweet tea. This populates it with beneficial yeast and bacteria. They turn the tea into kombucha. When you buy a kombucha SCOBY, it should come with starter liquid. You can also use a bottle of kombucha from the store. If you do, make sure it's raw and unflavored.
• Black tea is traditionally used in kombucha. Look for a high-quality loose-leaf black tea with a flavor and aroma you enjoy. Avoid flavored teas, as they may contain essential oils that can harm the SCOBY over time. 
• Sugar feeds the microorganisms in the SCOBY. It is an essential ingredient and keeps the live cultures in kombucha healthy. White sugar is the traditional choice, but some brewers use less refined sweeteners.
•  Hibiscus flowers (hibiscus sabdariffa) give the kombucha its gorgeous, deep red color. They're also loaded with vitamin C and bioflavonoids. They have a distinct tart flavor that's a natural match for kombucha.

Brewing Tips

• Mind your temperature. Kombucha ferments best in a warm kitchen. Aim for a temperature of about 75 to 85 F. If your kitchen's cold, wrap the dough in a towel to keep it warm or use a heating wrap. Kombucha and other fermented drinks will ferment more quickly at warm temperatures. They will ferment more slowly at cool temperatures.
• Glass bottles with a swing-top closure are helpful for bottling your kombucha. However, they can break with neglect. So, always burp your kombucha once a day before transferring it to the fridge. Carbon dioxide builds up during the fermentation process. This technique allows some of it to escape, helping you to avoid exploding bottles.
• You can also use hibiscus syrup to flavor your kombucha rather than making sweetened hibiscus tea.
• Stir your kombucha very well before you pour it into bottles. Stirring distributes the yeast and bacteria evenly. This makes your bottles uniformly fizzy.
• Refrigerate your hibiscus kombucha for a few days before drinking it. This technique helps the bubbles to set, resulting in consistently bubbly kombucha.
• Open your kombucha over the sink. Thanks to the activity of all those live cultures, kombucha can be super fizzy. Be careful when you open it, or you might have a mess to clean up. And with hibiscus's vibrant color, it could stain. 

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Hibiscus Kombucha Recipe

Hibiscus flowers bring an added astringency and deep magenta color to homemade kombucha. It's delicious served over ice in the summertime.

Course Beverage, Ferment

Cuisine American

Keyword herbs

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Fermentation 16 days days

Total Time 16 days days 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 pints (8 servings)

Author Jenny

Equipment

• gallon jar
• flip-top bottles
• Fine-mesh Strainer
• Medium Saucepan
• PH meter (optional)

Ingredients

Primary Fermentation

• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons loose-leaf black tea
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 kombucha scoby
• 1 cup prepared kombucha tea (from a previous batch or store-bought, unpasteurized kombucha)

Secondary Fermentation

• ¼ cup dried hibiscus flowers
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup sugar

Instructions

Primary Fermentation

• Bring 8 cups water to a rolling boil, then immediately turn off the heat. Stir in the loose-leaf black tea and 1 cup sugar, stirring until it dissolves completely. Allow the tea to steep for 10 to 15 minutes, and then strain.
• Let the sweetened tea cool to room temperature. Then pour it into a gallon-sized jar. Stir in the prepared kombucha tea, and then drop in the SCOBY.
• Cover the mouth of the jar with a clean cloth or coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band. This allows airflow while keeping out contaminants. Place the jar in a warm, dark place (ideally between 75-85 F or 24 29 C) to ferment. Avoid direct sunlight. Let the kombucha ferment for 7 to 14 days. The longer it ferments, the more acidic and less sweet it will taste.

Secondary Fermentation

• When the kombucha SCOBY has grown larger and the kombucha tastes pleasantly tart, it's time to flavor it. Set aside the kombucha SCOBY and 1 cup of kombucha tea for a future batch, keep the remaining kombucha tea in its jar.
• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, and then stir in the hibiscus flowers and ¼ cup sugar. Let it steep until it cools to room temperature. Then, strain it, pressing the hibiscus flowers to get as much liquid as possible. You should have about ½ cup of sweetened hibiscus tea. Stir the hibiscus tea into the remaining kombucha tea.
• Pour it evenly into 4 (16-oz) flip-top bottles and close them tightly. Allow them to ferment for 2 to 3 days, taking care to burp the jars once a day. Then transfer them to the fridge for at least 3 more days before serving. Store the finished kombucha in the fridge and enjoy it within 3 months.

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Recipe Questions

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In the late fall, you can find fresh cranberries at most supermarkets. They have such a brief season; you need to snap them up while you can.

When they're available, I make cranberry kvass - a wintertime riff on my fruit kvass recipe. It's sweet and tart with a delicate effervescence. And you only need a handful of ingredients.

If you're unfamiliar with it, kvass is a fermented drink from Eastern Europe. Traditionally, it's made with stale bread such as sourdough rye bread, honey, or a similar sweetener, and a starter culture that acts as a sort of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. It ferments for a few days at room temperature, and then the fermentation process infuses it with beneficial bacteria.

This version, which uses cranberries instead of bread, tastes delicately tart and has a lovely color that borders between scarlet and pink. Once you've got the hang of making it, you can also adjust the recipe by adding other fruits or spices (ginger and apples are some of our favorite additions);

Ingredients + Substitutions

Cranberries give the kvass its vibrant scarlet color and its tart, fruity flavor. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries. If using frozen berries, thaw them first.  Chopping the berries before fermenting them encourages them to release their color and flavor into the kvass.

Raw honey provides sweetness and provides fuel for the beneficial microbes responsible for fermentation. You can use any caloric sweetener, including minimally processed sugar, such as turbinado sugar or another natural sweetener like maple syrup. You can adjust the amount of honey you use, but I recommend adding at least 1 tablespoon and no more than ¼ cup.

Salt provides flavor and a dose of minerals. Some people avoid salt and prefer adding a little tarter cream instead.

A starter culture kickstarts fermentation. Kvass is a yeast-based ferment that is ready in a few days.

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Cranberry Kvass Recipe

Cranberry Kvass is a tangy, probiotic-rich drink that supports digestion and immunity-perfect for holiday tables and winter sipping.

Course Drink, Ferment

Cuisine American, Russian

Keyword cranberries

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Fermentation 6 days days

Total Time 6 days days 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Jenny

Equipment

• ½ gallon jar
• flip-top bottles

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh cranberries (picked through and chopped coarsely)
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup starter culture (see note above)
• lukewarm water (to fill the jar)

Instructions

• Combine the cranberries, honey, salt, and starter culture in a half-gallon jar. Pour enough water over the ingredients to fill the jar to its shoulders, then stir until the honey is dissolved.
• Seal the jar, then ferment the kvass at room temperature (ideally 65°F to 72°F) for 3 to 4 days, burping the jar daily. If the jar hisses when you burp it, that's a good sign that the kvass is ready.
• Strain the kvass through a fine-mesh sieve. Pour the kvass into flip-top bottles, filling them up to the shoulder. Transfer them to the fridge to bottle condition for at least 3 days, to allow the bubbles to set.
• Pour over ice. Store the kvass in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

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What is it?

Kombucha tea is a fermented drink made by culturing sweetened black tea with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. This symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast is also known as a SCOBY or mother culture. The beneficial bacteria and yeast in the SCOBY convert the sugar in sweet tea into various b vitamins and acids, which produces the sweet-sour, vitamin-rich drink we know as kombucha.

Ginger kombucha is one of the most popular flavors, and you make it by flavoring kombucha tea with ginger root and a source of sweetener, such as honey, fruit juice, or sugar. The result is a fizzy probiotic beverage that has a gingery zip coupled with a pleasantly sweet, sour flavor reminiscent of apple cider vinegar and black tea.

Ingredients for Ginger Kombucha

In addition to prepared kombucha, which contains black tea and sugar, this version also uses ginger and honey. Both the ingredients and technique are simple.

• Prepare kombucha tea. You'll need tea from the first fermentation of kombucha, or plain kombucha tea without any additional flavorings. This forms the foundation of the recipe, and it contains plenty of live beneficial microbes that give kombucha its many health benefits (1).
• Fresh ginger. Look for fresh, organic ginger. Ginger is traditionally used to support digestion, ease nausea, and combat inflammation (2).
• Honey. Honey gives ginger kombucha a light sweetness with a delicate floral top note. Additionally, the good bacteria and wild yeast in the drink need a source of simple sugars in order to produce a fizzy brew.

How to Flavor Kombucha

There's a three-step process to making any flavored kombucha that you'll need to follow.

The initial or primary fermentation for kombucha is typically done in large jars using only black tea and sugar, as this keeps your SCOBY healthy and vibrant. Adding flavorings to the initial brew can compromise the culture's health and its ability to reproduce in the future, so you add flavorings during the second fermentation. Bottle conditioning, or transferring the brew to the fridge for a few days before drinking, is the final step and it helps make the kombucha fizzy.

• Initial fermentation. Brew your kombucha as you normally would using either the continuous brew or batch brew methods.
• Make the ginger syrup. Make the ginger syrup by simmering fresh ginger in hot water, and then stirring in honey until it dissolves. Once it cools to room temperature, it's time to strain the syrup.
• Secondary fermentation. Stir strained honey syrup into your plain kombucha, and then transfer it to glass bottles. Seal the bottles and let them ferment for up to three days at room temperature away from direct sunlight.
• Bottle conditioning. To set the bubbles, transfer the bottles of ginger kombucha to the fridge and let them age for at least two days to let the bubbles set. E

Recipe Tips

While brewing your own kombucha can seem complicated, the process is deceptively simple. If you can boil water or make tea, you can brew your own kombucha, too. With that in mind, there are a few tips you'll want to keep in mind.

• Use plain, homemade kombucha as your foundation. The kombucha you buy at stores has already been flavored and bottle conditioned, so it's best if you start with plain kombucha first.
• Make ginger syrup. While you could simply chop fresh ginger or add dried ginger to bottles of kombucha, you'll get the best flavor and less sediment by preparing a syrup first and adding the flavored syrup to your brew.
• Stir your homemade kombucha well before you flavor and bottle it. The live cultures in your brew have different weights, with bacteria floating and yeast sinking. So, to get the most balanced brew you can, make sure to stir the kombucha very well before you add your ginger syrup. Stirring distributes the live cultures, meaning you get uniformly fizzy bottles of booch.
• Use flip-top bottles because they have strong walls and tight-fitting lids. These bottles are intended for home brewing and you'll have better results using them.
• Temperature matters. Your ginger kombucha will ferment faster in hot temperatures and more slowly in a cold kitchen.
• If you're concerned about safety, test your brew with PH strips. For safety, your brew should be 4.5 or under on the PH scale. Most properly prepared kombucha will test between 2.5 and 3.5 on the scale.
• Let it sit in the fridge for a few days. This helps to set the bubbles, meaning a better fizz for you.
• Open your kombucha over the sink. Homebrewed booch can be super fizzy, and sometimes explosive. Opening it over the sink will keep your kitchen cleaner.

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Ginger Kombucha Recipe

This ginger kombucha, made with a honey-ginger syrup, is zippy, sweet, tart, and refreshing-perfect served over ice.

Course Beverage

Cuisine American

Keyword fermentation, ginger

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Fermentation 3 days days

Total Time 3 days days 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings (1 quart)

Author Jenny

Equipment

• Medium Saucepan
• Fine-mesh Strainer
• Funnel
• flip-top bottles

Ingredients

For the Ginger Syrup

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup honey
• 6 ounces fresh ginger (chopped fine)

Finishing the Kombucha

• 12 cups prepared kombucha tea

Instructions

Prepare the ginger syrup.

• Place the water, honey, and ginger into a small saucepan, and bring it all to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir constantly, and then turn off the heat as soon as the honey is fully dissolved.
• Let the syrup cool to room temperature, and then strain. Discard the spent ginger and pour the syrup into a clean jar.

Finishing the kombucha.

• In a large jar or pitcher, stir the ginger syrup into the prepared kombucha. Pour into 16-oz flip-top bottles, and then allow the kombucha to ferment for 3 days at room temperature. Transfer to the fridge for two days to allow the bubbles to set before opening.

Common Questions

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References

1. Júnior, Jayme César da Silva et al. "Kombucha: Formulation, chemical composition, and therapeutic potentialities." Current research in food science vol. 5 360-365. 4 Feb. 2022
2. Anh, Nguyen Hoang et al. "Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials." Nutrients vol. 12,1 157. 6 Jan. 2020

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When we host holiday parties and get-togethers, I always like to make something special to drink: mulled wine and traditional wassail are favorites.  Cranberry Mors is nice, and so is Cinnamon Spice Kombucha.

We also like this homemade Cranberry Orange Water Kefir Soda, which is at once tart and slightly sweet with a delicate fizz.

What's Water Kefir?

Water kefir is a cultured drink that is rich in good-for-your-gut beneficial bacteria, and one that is naturally fizzy like a homemade soda.  It begins first by culturing the grains in sugar water (don't worry, the sugar's not for you; rather it's food for all those beneficial bacteria), and then mixing the resulting water kefir with fruit juice for flavoring.

In the end, you have a drink that's pleasantly sweet and sour with a natural fizz.  Even better? It's also loaded with gut-friendly bacteria just like yogurt or sauerkraut

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Cranberry Orange Water Kefir Soda

Bright, tart and faintly sweet, this homemade water kefir soda offers a lovely fizz and sparkle.

Course Drink

Prep Time 1 day day

Cook Time 2 days days

Total Time 3 days days

Servings 1 quart

Author Jenny

Ingredients

For the Water Kefir

• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons unrefined cane sugar
• 10 drops trace mineral supplement (optional)
• 3 tablespoons water kefir grains

For the Cranberry Soda

• Juice of 1 orange about ¼ cup
• 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice

Instructions

• Warm the water over medium heat in a saucepan. Stir in the sugar and mineral drops, and continue stirring them into the hot water until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove the sugar water from the heat, and allow it to cool to room temperature.
• Place kefir grains into a jar, pour the sugar water over them. Set the Kefirko's strainer on top of its jar, and top with a loose-fitting lid to allow for limited airflow. Allow the water kefir to culture for 24 hours, then remove the lid and strain the water kefir into a pitcher.
• Whisk the orange and cranberry juices into the water kefir, then pour evenly into swing-top bottles. Seal the bottles, and allow the kefir to culture for 2-3 days at room temperature, keeping in mind that the cooler your kitchen is, the longer it will take to culture and the warmer your kitchen is the shorter it will take to culture.
• Serve right away or transfer to the fridge. Take care when opening the bottles as the fermentation process creates carbon dioxide which may cause the water kefir to fizz and foam.

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What is it?

Water kefir, or tibicos, is a traditional fermented drink made by culturing water, sugar, and fruit with a starter culture. The starter culture contains various beneficial bacteria and yeasts that produce a slightly tart, fizzy drink.

While its specific origin is unclear, researchers suspect that water kefir originated in pre-Columbian Mexico. It is still used in Mexico today in some preparations of tepache - which is a lightly fermented drink often made from corn or pineapple.

It's made using water kefir grains, a starter culture that contains a wide variety of beneficial microorganisms living in symbiosis. These tiny, crystal-like grains can form naturally beneath the skin of prickly pear cactus fruits (1). Further, it's likely that early brewers captured tibicos from the wild and then cultivated the culture through domestic brewing.

What's in it?

Like kombucha and milk kefir, you need a SCOBY or symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast to culture water kefir properly. The bacteria present in this culture produce small, gelatinous crystals called water kefir grains or tibicos.

In addition to these crystal-like grains, you'll also need sugar. Salt, dried fruit, and citrus fruits are all common additions. Fruit juice works well during the second ferment.

• Water kefir grains (also called tibicos) are small, gelatinous structures that contain a variety of bacteria and yeast. These grains are the source of beneficial microorganisms that will transform sugar water into a bubbly, probiotic drink.
• Water should be dechlorinated as the chlorine added to municipal water may negatively affect the fragile cultures in the grains. Many water filters will dechlorinate your water.
• Sugar is the food that nourishes the microbes in your grains. The good bacteria will eat the sugar and release acids, which is why your water kefir turns from sweet to tart.
• Dried fruit such as raisins or figs is a good addition as it can help give a boost of minerals that help nourish the grains and keep them healthy. Additionally, when it's finished brewing, the dried fruit should float to the top of the jar, giving you a good indicator of doneness.
• Citrus fruit gives water kefir flavor during the primary fermentation. It also helps to acidulate the water, keeping it safe during the early stages of fermentation. Both lemons and lime work well.
• Fruit juice is an excellent choice for flavoring your water kefir during secondary fermentation.

Is it good for you?

Water kefir, like most fermented foods, supports gut health and systemic wellness. Researchers have studied the microbial composition of water kefir since the late 19th century(2).

Like many fermented drinks, it's considered a functional food - meaning that you receive benefits beyond nutrition alone. Most of these benefits can be attributed to the drink's rich array of beneficial bacteria.

While it's lower in sugar than soft drinks, fermented vegetables or beet kvass may be a better choice if you're struggling with metabolic health or blood sugar balance.

• Water kefir is an excellent source of gut-friendly probiotics. It contains about 60 strains of lactobacillus bacteria, yeasts, and other microbes (3). The composition of each culture varies slightly, as brewing techniques and the environment influence it.
• Some research shows that water kefir supports healthy cells and may have anti-carcinogenic properties (4).
• Fermented drinks may help to support oral health, too (5).
• While water kefir is not sugar-free, fermentation does reduce its sugar content, and it serves as a promising low-sugar beverage (6).
• Beneficial bacteria in probiotic-rich foods and drinks support immune system health (7).
• It provides excellent hydration, especially on hot days. In addition to being a water-based beverage, you'll also get loads of probiotics as well as some electrolytes and B vitamins.

Brewing Tips

To make water kefir, you'll need to mix sugar and water together and then cool it to room temperature before adding your grains. Drop in some dried fruit for minerals, and allow it to culture for at least 24 and up to 48 hours before straining and bottling.

Once you get the hang of brewing your water kefir, there are a few things you can do to make sure you have a consistently good drink every time. But there are a few tips you'll want to keep in mind.

• Filtered water works best. Chlorine is strongly antibacterial. And so it can damage your tibicos grains over time.
• Pay attention to temperature. Excessive heat can damage the live cultures, so make sure your sugar water has cooled to room temperature before adding the grains.
• Use unrefined cane sugar like jaggery, panela, or rapadura. Water kefir thrives in a mineral-rich environment, and unrefined sugars are rich in minerals. White sugar, however, produces the cleanest flavor and a clear appearance.
• Use a caloric sweetener. Your culture needs sugar in order to thrive. While unrefined sugar works best, you can also use white sugar, molasses, honey, and coconut sugar. Avoid noncaloric sweeteners like stevia and xylitol.
• Add a liquid mineral supplement if you use white or refined sugar to give your culture the minerals it needs to grow.
• Add dried fruit like figs or raisins to your brew. Dried fruit gives your grains much-needed minerals and will float when the kefir is finished.
• Stir thoroughly before bottling it to distribute the yeast. Yeast activity is what gives you great bubbles. Evenly distributing the yeast among your bottles will give you better and more consistent results.
• Place your bottles in the fridge for a few days after the second ferment. This process, called bottle conditioning, helps set your bubbles.

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Water Kefir Recipe (Tibicos)

Reminiscent of lemonade, water kefir or tibicos is a slightly fizzy probiotiic beverage that you can make at home. 

Course Drinks, Ferment

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword fermentation, figs, kefir, lime

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Fermentation Time 2 days days

Total Time 2 days days 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings (1 quart)

Calories 33kcal

Author Jenny

Equipment

• ½ gallon jar
• Cheesecloth
• flip-top bottles

Ingredients

Initial Fermentation

• 4 cups water
• ¼ cup unrefined cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons water kefir grains
• 1 dried fig
• ½ lime

Secondary Fermentation

• 1 cup fruit juice (grape, pomegranate, apple, pineapple etc.)

Instructions

Initial Fermentation

• Bring the 1 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat, and then stir in the sugar until it dissolves.  Pour the sugar water into a half-gallon mason jar, and then pour in 3 cold water.  Allow the sugar water solution to cool to room temperature.
• Spoon the water kefir grains into the room-temperature sugar water.  Drop in the fig and lime.  Cover loosely with cheesecloth secured by kitchen twine or a rubber band. Let it culture for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours.  
• Strain the kefir through a nonreactive strainer into a pitcher. Discard the spent lime and fig, but reserve the water kefir grains.
• Store the reserved kefir grains in sugar water in the fridge up to 3 months.
• Serve the kefir right away, or continue with the secondary fermentation below.

Secondary Fermentation

• For the secondary fermentation, pour 1 cup fruit juice into the kefir.  And then pour the flavored kefir into flip-top bottles, filling them within ½ inch to 1 inch of their openings.
• Seal the bottles, and set them on your countertop to ferment a further 18 to 24 hours, keeping in mind that warm temperatures will speed up the fermentation process while cool temperatures will slow it down. Transfer the bottles of water kefir to the fridge for 3 days to allow the bubbles to set.
• Open carefully over a sink, as the liquid in the bottle is under pressure, and when you release the bottle's seal, the water kefir may fizz and foam.

Nutrition

Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 26mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 6mg

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Recipe Questions

Try these fermented drinks next

References

1. Katz, S. 2012. The Art of Fermentation. Chelsea Green Publishing.
2. Lutz, M.L., 1899. Recherches biologiques sur la constitution du Tibi. Bulletin de la Societe Mycologique de France 15, 68-72.
3. Gulitz, A., et al. The Microbial Diversity of Water Kefir. 2011 Apr.
4. Zamberi, N. R., et al. (2016). The Antimetastatic and Antiangiogenesis Effects of Kefir Water on Murine Breast Cancer Cells. Integrative cancer therapies, 15(4), NP53-NP66.
5. Chatterjee, A., et al. (2011). Probiotics in periodontal health and disease. Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology, 15(1)
6. Laureys, D., De Vuyst, L. Water kefir as a promising low-sugar probiotic fermented beverage. Arch Public Health 72 (Suppl 1), P1 (2014).
7. Shahbazi, Roghayeh et al. "Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Properties of Fermented Plant Foods." Nutrients vol. 13,5 1516. 30 Apr. 2021

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What is switchel?

Switchel is a lightly sweet, ginger-infused drinking vinegar similar to a shrub. It also goes by the names switzel, swizzle, haymaker's punch, and sometimes ginger water. Immensely popular during colonial times of 18th-century America, switchel provided a delicious, sweet-and-sour soft drink that helped to hydrate and re-energize workers.

Historically, it was popular among both farmers and sailors because it provided a hydrating tonic that helped slake thirst after hours of intense manual labor. In a way, it's the world's first sports drink, providing adequate hydration, a dose of electrolytes, and a little dose of sugar to help boost energy.

What's in it?

Switchel contains three basic ingredients: vinegar, water, ginger, and a sweetener. Traditionally, switchel makers used apple cider vinegar, powdered ginger, and molasses; however, most modern recipes use fresh ginger and natural sweeteners such as honey, pure maple syrup, or brown sugar.

Additionally, some switchel recipes, include fruit - especially berries or stone fruit such as peaches and plums.

• Vinegar gives switchel a lovely tartness and helps to acidify the water. Most recipes call for apple cider vinegar which has both a pleasant flavor and is affordable.
• Ginger gives switchel a zippy, fiery flavor. Traditionally, people made switchel using powdered ginger, but fresh ginger is popular in contemporary recipes because it's more widely available than it once was.
• A sweetener is essential in providing both calories and in balancing the tartness of the vinegar. Older recipes call for molasses, which was both more affordable and more accessible than other sweeteners at the time. New recipes, such as the one below, tend to favor raw honey or maple syrup as their flavors hold a wider appeal.
• Additions can include fruit, herbs, and other spices. Mint is delicious in combination with ginger and makes a perfect addition to switchel. Fresh berries, such as blackberries, give switchel a boost of flavor and a gorgeous, vibrant pink color.

Is it good for you?

Switchel hovers on the line somewhere between refreshing summer soft drink and revitalizing tonic. The drink's plentiful electrolytes mean it helps to hydrate the body, especially in hot weather or after heavy labor. It's nature's original sports drink.

Additionally, the drink uses ginger, a medicinal herb that is traditionally used to ease nausea, while also supporting the heart, metabolism, and immune system.

• Drinking vinegar may help support better metabolic health and blood sugar regulation (1,2).
• Switchel contains electrolytes including sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium which help support hydration (3).
• Berries are rich in a wide variety of anti-inflammatory plant nutrients that help support gut health.
• Honey provides a little bit of sugar that can give a boost of energy.

Tips for Making Switchel

Switchel, as with many apple cider vinegar drinks and many fermented drinks, is a pretty basic recipe. You'll warm the ingredients in a saucepan until the honey dissolves, and the berries turn fall-apart tender. Then you strain the mixture, and then let it cool. It's delicious served with rum or mixed in with sparkling water or club soda.

• Switchels makes great use of over-ripe fruit.
• Fresh ginger can really lend a brightness to the drink, but you can add powdered ginger if that's what you have on hand.
• The honey mixes best when warmed on the stove. But, if you prefer to keep your honey or vinegar raw, try heating the water, ginger, and berries together, and then mix in the honey and vinegar once the water cools completely.
• Adjust the flavor as you like it. Some people prefer a sweeter switchel, so adjust the vinegar-honey ratio as it suits you. Traditionally, you'd make it using equal parts sweetener and vinegar, so start there and adjust to your personal tastes.

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Blackberry Ginger Switchel Recipe

This riff on old-fashioned switchel uses fresh ginger instead of powdered, and it includes plenty of blackberries, which give the drink a gorgeous pink color and a vibrant, summery flavor. Serve it over ice with a sprig of mint.

Course Drink

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 67kcal

Author Jenny

Equipment

• Medium Saucepan
• Fine-mesh Sieve

Ingredients

Ingredients

• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 (2-inch) knob of fresh ginger root (peeled and chopped)
• 2 cups blackberries
• 8 cups water
• pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

• Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Mash the softened berries into the liquid, and continue simmering for another 5 minutes.
• Strain the switchel, discarding the solids. Refrigerate overnight. Serve cold over ice.

Nutrition

Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 103IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Common Questions

Love switchel? Try these easy drinks next

References

1. Johnston CS, Gaas CA. Vinegar: medicinal uses and antiglycemic effect. MedGenMed. 2006 May 30;8(2):61.
2. Hadi A, Pourmasoumi M, Najafgholizadeh A, Clark CCT, Esmaillzadeh A. The effect of apple cider vinegar on lipid profiles and glycemic parameters: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021 Jun 29
3. Wein, H. How the Body Regulates Salt Levels. NIH Research Matters. Retrieved 2020.

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What is it?

Haymaker's Punch, also known as switchel or ginger water, is a traditional rehydrating tonic prepared from ginger, molasses, and apple cider vinegar. It tastes sweet and acidic with a fiery, spicy edge thanks to the ginger.

Haymaker's Punch was a popular soft drink during the 18th and 19th centuries. Exhausted by heavy physical labor and hot summer weather, farmers and sailors would drink Haymaker's Punch to help hydrate and re-energize their worn bodies.

It was so popular and so essential to the laboring class that ships regularly stocked the ingredients for long voyages (1). An average 19th-century U.S. Navy ship typically preparing for 6 months at sea typically carried close to 900 gallons of each molasses and vinegar (2), for the making of switchel among other uses.

What's in it?

Traditional Haymaker's Punch recipes contain four simple ingredients: molasses, apple cider vinegar, powdered ginger, and water. In addition, many recipes call for a pinch of salt which not only enhances the drink's flavor, but it also provides additional electrolytes that support hydration.

Modern recipes often swap maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar for the molasses, use fresh ginger in place of powdered, and add fruit or other herbs. This switchel recipe is a good example of a modern take on Haymaker's Punch as it incorporates non-traditional ingredients such as blackberries, fresh ginger, and honey.

• Molasses gives the drink a slightly sweet, mineral-like flavor. It is also rich in minerals such as calcium and magnesium as well as vitamin B6.
• Apple cider vinegar gives the drink a pleasant tart flavor and tends to be both widely accessible and affordable.
• Powdered ginger gives Haymaker's Water a zippy flavor, similar to ginger ale. You can also substitute fresh ginger if you prefer.
• Salt contributes electrolytes that help support hydration. If you're using a minimally processed salt, it will also contain traces of other minerals such as iron, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium

Is it good for you?

The farmers and sailors who drank Haymaker's Punch to slake their thirst valued the drink for its health benefits. It turns out they certainly knew a thing or two. It's like nature's original sports drink: it helps to rehydrate the body, replenish lost electrolytes due to sweating and provides a boost of energy.

• Drinking diluted apple cider vinegar before meals supports metabolic health and blood sugar balance (3).
• Electrolytes support hydration (4). And your body's ability to rehydrate effectively depends on these key minerals, including magnesium, sodium, and potassium. The mineral-rich salt and molasses in this recipe provide plenty of both, and more electrolytes than you'll find in a commercially prepared sports drink such as Gatorade.
• Electrolytes also help to move nutrients into your cells and waste away from them (5).
• Molasses is a good source of vitamin B6, a nutrient that plays an important role in heart and cognitive health, and it may play a role in supporting women suffering from PMS or morning sickness (6). It's a common ingredient in energy and sports drinks for its reputed ability to boost energy.
• The natural sugars in molasses can help refuel the body by providing energy.
• Ginger is a highly anti-inflammatory herb that is rich in antioxidants. It's traditionally used to ease nausea and support digestion (7), but it also supports blood sugar balance (8), may help ease headaches (9), and is an excellent tonic for the immune system.

Tips for Making Haymaker's Punch

Haymaker's Punch is easy to make. Remember, it was a favorite of sailors at sea and farmers in the middle of the harvest season. And neither had a lot of extra time for complicated cooking. There are a few things you'll want to keep in mind.

• Use warm water as the molasses dissolves easier.
• Powdered ginger is the traditional option, but it's delicious using fresh ginger, too.
• Swap the molasses for another natural sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup, but your switchel will have fewer minerals and a lot less vitamin B6 as a result.
• Shake the switchel thoroughly before you pour it. The ginger tends to settle in the bottom of the jar.
• Adjust it to your personal taste. It's a flexible recipe, and you can adjust the amount of apple cider vinegar, sweetener, and ginger you use. Or consider adding a few sprigs of fresh herbs or sliced fruit to the mix, too.

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Haymaker's Punch Recipe

With a pleasant, mild sweetness and a bright, acidic kick, this old-fashioned energy drink is perfect on a hot summer day. Its plentiful minerals help replenish lost electrolytes. A good dose of B vitamins can help boost your energy. Try mixing it with a little sparkling water for a pleasant afternoon drink reminiscent of ginger ale.

Course Beverage

Cuisine American

Keyword ginger, molasses, vinegar

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 45kcal

Author Jenny

Equipment

• ½ gallon jar

Ingredients

• ¼ cup molasses
• ¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 cups warm water

Instructions

• Whisk the molasses, vinegar, ginger, and sea salt into the water. Refrigerate, and shake thoroughly before serving. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.04g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 0.2IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

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Recipe Questions

Other simple drinks you'll enjoy

References

1. Morrell, B. A Narrative of Four Voyages. Harper, New York. (1832)
2. Brenckle, M. Food and Drink in the US Navy: 1794 to 1820. USS Constitution Museum, Boston. (2019)
3. Johnston, Carol S et al. "Vinegar improves insulin sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal in subjects with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes." Diabetes care vol. 27,1 (2004)
4. Electrolytes. Colorado State University. Retrieved 2020.
5. Fluid and Electrolyte Balance. MedlinePlus. Retrieved 2022.
6. Vitamin B6 Fact Sheet. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved 2022.
7. Ryan, Julie L, and Gary R Morrow. "Ginger." Oncology nurse edition vol. 24,2 (2010)
8. Huang, Fang-Yan et al. "Dietary ginger as a traditional therapy for blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Medicine vol. 98,13 (2019)
9. Chen, Liyan, and Zhiyou Cai. "The efficacy of ginger for the treatment of migraine: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies." The American journal of emergency medicine vol. 46 (2021)

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What is a shrub?

A shrub is a sweet-and-sour drinking vinegar, similar to switchel or haymaker's punch. To make a shrub, you pour vinegar over fruit and let it stand for a few days. Then, you strain the fruit-infused vinegar and mix it with sugar or another sweetener.

In addition to fruit and vinegar, many shrub makers also add herbs, spices, and, occasionally, vegetables. Sugar remains the sweetener of choice; however, you can sweeten shrubs using other natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, or molasses. This version of rhubarb shrub uses rhubarb, white wine vinegar, and sugar.

What's the history?

Sweetened vinegar-based drinks made with fruit, herbs, and spices have been prized for both their medicinal and culinary value since antiquity. Early Persian texts describe the benefits of sekanjabinat which comes from the words serkeh (vinegar) and anjabin (honey) made using herbs, spices, and fruit.

Later, these honey-sweetened vinegar drinks were adopted in Greece and spread throughout Europe where they were known as oxymels. Oxy refers to vinegar and mel to honey. Eventually, these medicinal cordials became what we know as shrubs today.

Shrubs and other drinking vinegars were popular in the 17th and 18th centuries before their popularity waned in the early 20th century with the advent of soda counters. Making shrubs offered an easy way to preserve summer fruit well into the cold winter months.

Additionally, vinegar-based drinks were thought to convey medicinal benefits as well such as supporting digestion, easing stomach upset, or soothing the common cold, depending on which fruits and herbs you add to the mix.

What's in it?

This rhubarb shrub is simple and easy to make. You'll need rhubarb, vinegar, and a sweetener. To this basic mix, you can also add fresh herbs such as mint or spices such as vanilla and cardamom.

• Rhubarb is a member of the buckwheat family, and it is rich in anthocyanins which give it a vivid red color. It's also rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. It has a tart flavor that works well with summer fruit.
• White wine vinegar works well with rhubarb since its pale color allows the red pigment in rhubarb to come through.
• Sugar gives the shrub its sweetness. Organic white sugar works well in rhubarb shrub because it helps to maintain a light color.

Tips for Making Rhubarb Shrub

As with many old-world recipes, shrubs are easy to make. You'll start by soaking the rhubarb in vinegar, then strain the infused vinegar before mixing it with sugar. Next, heat the sugar and vinegar together in a saucepan until it forms a fine syrup. Bottle and store.

• Choose brightly colored, red rhubarb. Part of the drink's charm is its color. And if your rhubarb is pale or green, your shrub will lack the vivid, vibrant pink color that makes it so visually pleasing.
• Chop the rhubarb into ¼-inch dice. Rhubarb cut into small pieces will produce a more colorful and flavorful vinegar.
• Use equal parts vinegar and sugar. While you can use less sugar if you like, true shrubs are made with equal parts vinegar and sugar to form a syrup. This balance of sweet and sour is what makes them so delicious.
• Add your sugar at the end. Some modern recipes call for adding sugar to the vinegar-rhubarb mixture; however, traditional recipes call for adding the sugar just before bottling and warming it with the vinegar until dissolved. The traditional method results in better quality shrub syrup.
• Use only a little bit. Remember the shrub is designed to be diluted. So use about 1 tablespoon to 2 tablespoons of shrub syrup diluted into mineral water or spirits.

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Rhubarb Shrub Recipe

With its pretty pink color and sweet-and-sour flavor, this simple shrub is a delicious and simple way to use up all the rhubarb in your garden. Mint, cardamom, and ginger are all nice additions to the basic recipe, if you'd like to liven it up a bit.

Course Beverage

Cuisine American

Keyword rhubarb

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Infusion 5 days days

Total Time 5 days days 15 minutes minutes

Servings 16 servings

Calories 51kcal

Author Jenny

Equipment

• Quart-sized Jar
• Fine-mesh Sieve
• Small saucepan

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups chopped rhubarb
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup sugar

Instructions

• Place the rhubarb into a quart-sized mason jar. Cover with vinegar, and then seal tightly.  Let it sit, away from direct light and heat, for 5 days.  Shake the jar daily.
• Strain the rhubarb vinegar through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan.  Stir in the sugar, and set the saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. Warm the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar completely dissolves, forming a fine syrup.  Transfer the shrub syrup to a bottle.
• To serve, mix one tablespoon of the syrup into 8 to 12 ounces of sparkling water, tap water, or mix into a cocktail.

Nutrition

Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 6mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

Recipe Questions

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How to make kvass

Making kvass is a four-step process. While the fermentation process takes several days, you'll only spend a few minutes of active time in the kitchen. Instead, the bacteria and wild yeast responsible for transforming sourdough bread and water into a bubbly fermented beverage will do most of the work for you.

1. Preparing your ingredients. You'll toast stale bread, gather your spices (we use coriander and caraway), and whichever source of yeast you're planning to use.
2. Soaking the bread. After toasting the bread, you'll toss it into a jar, cover it with water, and let it soak or steep for up to 3 days. In hotter temperatures, you may only need to let it soak for a day, while colder temperatures require more time. A large (2-quart) mason jar works well for this purpose.
3. Fermentation. During the initial fermentation, you'll strain the liquid (called the wort) through a cheesecloth, discarding the bread. Combine the wort with other seasonings (such as mint or fruit), honey, and a source of wild yeast. Allow this yeast mixture to ferment for one to two days.
4. Bottling. After the initial fermentation, you'll strain the resulting kvass into bottles and let it ferment one more time. This technique, called bottle conditioning, is also used to brew beer or make kombucha. Sometimes, an additional source of sugar is added to the bottle, such as honey, to increase the fermentation which results in more bubbles.

Recipe Tips

Like just about any old-world fermented food, making kvass is simple and fuss-free. These recipes and techniques are uncomplicated. Remember, it comes from a time when homemakers didn't have time to make elaborate or fussy meals; rather, ingredients needed to be simple and affordable while techniques needed to be easy to follow and require minimal effort. That said, there are a few things you'll need to keep in mind when you brew your first batch.

• Toast your bread until it's dark. Those toasty, toffee-like notes come through and give the kvass body and flavor. They pair beautifully with honey, too.
• Use hot water, but it doesn't have to be boiling. Traditionally, the water for kvass was boiled first. Since you have (most likely) access to clean water, you only need to warm it up a bit. It should be about as hot as a cup of tea.
• Use clean equipment, but don't worry about sterilizing. Clean bottles and clean jars just out of the dishwasher work fine.
• Use a caloric sweetener. This recipe calls for honey to sweeten the kvass (and feed all the good microbes during fermentation); however, you can use another sweetener. Noncaloric sweeteners inhibit fermentation since they lack enough carbohydrates to feed bacteria and yeast.
• Pay attention to temperature. Kvass will ferment faster in warm temperatures and take more time in cold kitchens.
• Burp your jars and bottles if you're concerned about the build-up of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a natural byproduct of fermentation and it's what makes fermented drinks, such as kombucha, beer, and kvass, naturally fizzy.

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Homemade Kvass Recipe

Like a cross between a blonde beer and mead, kvass is a refreshing fermented drink. It's delicious served cold, with a sprig of fresh mint. This recipe is adapted from Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe (Weldon Owen, 2015) by Olia Hercules.

Course Beverage, Ferment

Cuisine Russian

Keyword bread, herbs, spices

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Fermentation 5 days days

Total Time 5 days days 30 minutes minutes

Author Jenny

Equipment

• Quart-sized Jar
• Cheesecloth
• Fermentation Seal
• flip-top bottles

Ingredients

• 8 ounces sourdough rye bread (torn into 1-inch pieces)
• 8 cups hot water
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• ½ cup chopped fresh mint (plus additional to serve)
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons sourdough starter (see notes for additional options)

Instructions

Toasting the bread.

• Heat the oven to 400 F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Arrange the bread onto the parchment paper, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until dark brown.

Initial fermentation.

• Drop the toasted rye bread into a jar with a tight-fitting lid, cover with water, and then dd the caraway and coriander seeds. Seal tightly. Allow the kvass to ferment for 3 days in a warm spot in your kitchen way from direct light.

Secondary fermentation.

• Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or square of cheesecloth, pressing the liquid from the bread to extract as much as possible. Return the liquid to the jar, discarding the spent bread. Add the mint, honey, and sourdough starter.
• Seal the jar and allow it to ferment for 2 days in a warm spot in your kitchen, away from light and direct heat.

Bottling.

• Transfer the kvass into flip-top bottles, and let them ferment 1 day more. Then transfer to the fridge where it will keep up to 5 days. Serve cold with a sprig of mint.

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Vibrantly tart and spiked with hibiscus and rose hips, this raspberry shrub is excellent served over ice with mineral water or swirled into a summer cocktail. It's a perfect way to use up an abundance of some berries and is positively packed with vitamin C.

What's a shrub?

A shrub is a drinking or sipping vinegar that was popular in colonial America, and has since seen a resurgence in interest. Shrubs are made from vinegar, fruit, and a sweetener like honey or sugar. In addition, they often contain culinary or medicinal herbs.

Shrubs taste similar to kombucha - or definitively tart, slightly sweet, and infused with flavors of fruit, berries, and herbs.

Benefits of Raspberry Shrubs

Raspberry shrubs are rich in plant nutrients and antioxidants that help to support systemic wellness. Traditionally, they were used not only to quench your thirst but as an energizing tonic on hot summer days.

• Apple cider vinegar supports blood sugar balance. Apple cider vinegar helps support blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity (1).
• It also helps support liver health. Fruit vinegars like apple cider vinegar help to support liver health in animal studies (2).
• Raspberries are high in antioxidants and plant nutrients like anthocyanins which give them their brilliant red color. These phytonutrients can combat oxidative stress, and support heart and neurological health (3).
• Rose hips are high in vitamin C. Just an ounce of rose hips contains about 200% of the daily value for vitamin C (4).
• Shrubs are deeply hydrating. Because they're served diluted in water and contain trace minerals, they're deeply hydrating.
• They're also energizing. Shrubs were traditionally used as an energizing tonic, and an easy way to use consume gentle medicinal herbs.

What's in raspberry shrub?

In addition to vinegar and raspberries, a raspberry shrub needs a sweetener. Most shrubs call for equal amounts of vinegar and sugar. However, the soft floral sweetness of honey pairs beautifully with raspberries. And since honey's sweeter than sugar, I recommend using ¾ cup honey for every cup of vinegar.

In addition to raspberries, vinegar and honey, I like to add herbs to my shrub. Hibiscus flower gives the shrub a very deep, dark maroon color that, when diluted with water, becomes a vibrant red. While rose hips amplify the vinegar's tartness with a hit of vitamin C.

Tips for making raspberry shrub.

Making a raspberry shrub is easy. You only need to mash berries in a jar, drop in a few herbs and cover them with apple cider vinegar. Then you wait a few weeks, shaking the jar daily to distribute the herbs before straining and swirling in a bit of honey. While it's easy to make, there are a few tips to keep in mind.

• Use fresh, good-tasting raspberries. Some cooks recommend using overripe fruit or fruit just past its prime for making shrubs. But, remember that your shrub will only be as good-tasting as the ingredients you put into it. This is especially important considering it will sit in vinegar for upwards of 2 weeks. So use fresh, good-tasting berries.
• Muddle your raspberries. You can leave your berries whole, but if you muddle them or crush them lightly with a fork, you'll be able to extract the berries' flavor more effectively..
• Use vinegar with at least 5% acidity. Vinegar that's less acidic or more dilute won't preserve the shrub or pull nutrients from the herbs as effectively as a more acidic vinegar.
• Seal the jar with a non-reactive lid. Vinegar can corrode metal, so seal the jar with a plastic lid or glass lid with a rubber seal. If you only have metal lids, slip a piece of wax paper over the jar before sealing it with the lid to prevent corrosion.
• Shake the jar daily. In traditional herbalism, shaking the jars will help energize your tonic. It will also prevent the berries and herbs from packing on the bottom of the jar. And that means better distribution of ingredients, and, ultimately, better flavor.
• Strain gently through a fine-mesh strainer without pressing. While you'll extract more infused vinegar for your shrub if you press the ingredients through a strainer, it will also create sediment. So strain it without pressing until it stops dripping.

How to Use It

Traditionally, you dilute shrubs with water and sip them as a flavorful, energizing tonic. So, splash a few tablespoons of raspberry shrub into an icy glass of sparkling water. Or add it to a cocktail.

But, since they're a vinegar-based tonic, you can use them in place of vinegar in most recipes. That means they make an excellent infused vinegar for a vinaigrette, salad dressing or to splash over roasted vegetables for a hit of acidity.

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Raspberry Shrub Recipe

Strikingly tart with a vibrant undertone of raspberries, hibiscus and rose hips, this raspberry shrub is excellent served over ice with sparkling mineral water, swirled into a cocktail or even drizzled over fresh greens for a summer cocktail.

Course Drink

Cuisine American

Keyword fruit, herbs

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Infusion 14 days days

Total Time 14 days days 5 minutes minutes

Servings 40 servings (5 cups)

Calories 68kcal

Author Jenny

Equipment

• Quart-sized Jar
• Fine-mesh Sieve

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries
• 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
• ¼ cup rose hips
• 3 cups raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 ¼ cups honey

Instructions

• Place the raspberries into a jar, and then crush them lightly with a fork. Drop in the hibiscus flowers and rose hips. Pour the vinegar over the berries and herbs. Seal the jar tightly with a non-reactive lid, and set it on the counter.
• Allow the raspberries and herbs to infuse the vinegar for 2 weeks. Shake the jar twice daily.
• After two weeks, the vinegar should be a bright, deep red. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl or pitcher, and then pour the vinegar through the sieve and into the bowl. Allow the vinegar to strain on its own, without pressing, until it stops dripping - about ½ hour. Discard the solids.
• Whisk the honey into the vinegar, and then bottle. Store at room temperature up to 6 weeks, or store in the fridge up to 6 months.

Notes

If you're using a metal lid, place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper over the jar before sealing, as vinegar may corrode your lid.

Nutrition

Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 33mg | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

Other recipes you might like

References

1. Johnston, et al. (2004)Vinegar Improves Insulin Sensitivity to a High-Carbohydrate Meal in Subjects With Insulin Resistance or Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care.
2. Bouazza, A., et al. (2016) Effect of fruit vinegars on liver damage and oxidative stress in high-fat-fed rats. Pharmaceutical Biology
3. Burton-Freeman, B. M., et al. (2016). Red Raspberries and Their Bioactive Polyphenols: Cardiometabolic and Neuronal Health Links. Advances in nutrition
4. Rose Hip Nutrition Facts, NutritionData.com

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