Ginger Switchel

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Switchel is a refreshing, non-acoholic drink flavoured with ginger, sugar, and vinegar. Its origins are unclear - but its heyday was the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the USA when it was known as Haymaker's Punch because it was a popular thirst-quencher for farmhands. These days it tends to be made with maple syrup, as the liquid sugar blends easily in the drink and adds the rich flavour of maple sap, along with raw apple cider vinegar for tang. It's delicious served over ice, either straight up or mixed with soda water, and also works well in mixed drinks where it adds some heat and flavour-enhancing tartness. From the book "Alcohol Not Included" Jassy Davis, 2020.

Makes about 1 litre. 

50g (1 3/4oz) fresh ginger root
1 litre (1.7 pints) water
120ml (4fl oz) apple cider vinegar
150ml (5 1/4 fl oz) maple syrup
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Scrub the ginger - you don't need to peel it - then slice it and top into a pan. Pour in the water, set the pan on a high heat and bring to "the" boil. When the water is boiling, take the pan off the heat and set aside to cool. Here's where I will note that it says to pour into sterilized jars and then add the rest of the ingredients, but I didn't have a sterilized jar large enough for all this liquid at once. So - - when the ginger water has cooled, add the vinegar, maple syrup, and lemon juice and stir to mix. Then pour it into the sterilized jars and distribute the ginger evenly if it is several. Seal the jar and leave to infuse in the fridge for at least two days and up to 5 - the longer you leave it, the more fiery the ginger will be. I can attest to this - at LEAST two. When it suits your taste, strain out the ginger, return the switchel to the jar or to a sterilized bottle, seal and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Delicious!

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