Switchel Recipe – Refreshing Hydration For Hot Weather And Outdoor Activities

This switchel recipe will be your go-to hydration drink this summer! Replenish electrolytes during exercise, or rehydrate on a hot day!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you if you click through and make a purchase. See my full disclosure here.

Learn about this healthy drink that was popular with Colonial Americans and was commonly served in the house of representatives during those days. Later it became the beverage that kept homesteaders and farmers hydrated during the hot summer days when going about their chores. For this reason, it is also called ‘haymaker’s punch’. Today, you can use it very effectively as a naturally hydrating sports drink or a refreshing summer punch.

Switchel As A Hydration Drink

Have you seen switchel in the cooler section beside a lineup of healthy drinks? They are usually offered in very fancy, highly decorated soda cans and tend to be pretty darn expensive. The ingredients are not, but anything ‘healthy’ often gets a steep markup, and you’re paying for convenience.

But why not make your own. You can make yourself a gallon of this awesome stuff, even with all organic ingredients for just a few bucks, if that. And it’s super simple to make!

And when you make your own you know what’s in it and you can easily customize it to your preference.

A Bit Of History

If you’re new to switchel, you’ll appreciate that it has a long recorded history. It is not clear, where it originated. Some say in the Caribbean’s, others claim it was invented in America. However all seem to agree that it was popular in colonial America and apparently was used regularly by the early members of congress during sessions.

By the 19th century, switchel was popular with farmers who used it during hay making and other hard work in the heat of summer. Laura Ingalls describes a form of this drink that Ma would make for Pa while he was out working hard in the heat.

While switchel is commonly thought of as a non-alcoholic drink, it was popularly mixed with Jamaican rum by sailors at sea, but apparently also in the US House of Representatives back in the day, where switchel with rum was the punch served at congressional meetings. The farmer’s almanac has a fun historical recount on switchel. 

The Benefits of Switchel

Have you ever found yourself so dehydrated that even a gallon of water didn’t seem to replenish your fluids? I have that problem all summer long.

Unfortunately I’m one of those people who tend to perspire easily and sometimes I am soaked all day doing my farm chores under the hot summer sun. And water never seems adequate enough to get all that hydration back that I lost.

There are studies that have shown that plain water might not be best for rehydration. Because you don’t just lose water, but you also lose salt and other minerals in your sweat.

I crave salt all summer long for that reason, and I often add a pinch to my plain water, which, in my opinion, makes it taste awful, but it helps with hydration. 

Disclaimer

I am not a doctor or claim to be qualified in any way to give medical advice. I am self-taught and this article reflects just my opinions, experiences with herbs, and what I’ve learned from research and years of studying herbalism, herbs and their uses. It is meant as an entertaining source for ideas and reference, and to encourage interest in herbalism. It is my hope to help you get to know and appreciate herbs and their traditional uses. Please do not use any of this information to replace professional advise!

Enter Switchel!

So to make hydration work and taste good, I’ve been making various forms of switchel all summer. The ingredients in this switchel are chosen for replenishing electrolytes and energy as well as their anti-inflammatory ingredients. All of which can help hydrate your body, quench your thirst, and restore strength and energy. Learn more about electrolytes here.

Drinking a lot of water in one sitting, when excercising can make a person sick. But with the addition of salt, ginger, molasses and vinegar, a person can hydrate as much as he or she needs to. Ginger is warming and even in the heat, it can actually have a cooling effect on the body by inducing more sweating, which is the body’s cooling mechanism. In this way, ginger can help regulate the body temperature.(source)

In these modern times, switchel is often served ice cold, however that is not always the best thing on a hot day and when your body is overheated. So while most switchel recipes call for ice, I prefer it at room temperature when I feel overheated, because drinking ice-cold drinks can signal the body to warm up rather than to cool down. And I don’t upset my stomach this way.

Switchel’s basic hydration recipe is very easy to make. It is considered a fermented drink, that supplies probiotics for gut health too. But that is because we use already fermented vinegar, we don’t have to go through fermentation again. Just mix and sip.

You can also jazz it up in numerous ways to make it a truly exquisite summer drink. But you can also serve it in the winter as an immune boosting and warming tonic. 

Switchel For Livestock

Switchel can also be helpful for your livestock if they are struggling and need an energy boost. I use it for my goats. I usually add a raw egg and some mashed sweet potato to the formula if they are very sick, and I might add some herbs depending on the reason for their discomfort. 

But switchel can also be great on its own during or after kidding, lambing or calving, either in a bucket or as a drench. My base formula is molasses, apple cider vinegar, ginger or garlic, salt, and water.

And you can also use this to feed to your baby chicks when you first bring them home after being shipped from the hatchery. They’ve been through the trenches on their first few days of life, having been shipped in a bumpy box with no mama to comfort them.

Switchel can help them recover and regain their vigor when given right on arrival. Replace with plain water after the first 24 hours. I feel that it increases the survival rate in those little fragile birds.

A Word About Gatorade

Switchel is often referred to as the ‘natural gatorade’. I don’t agree that it compares at all. Gatorade is not a healthy drink at all. It is made of GMO, pesticide laden, and cancer-causing ingredients that lean heavily on refined sweeteners and use artificial coloring and flavoring. And other than a few added electrolytes, it adds little value to the body.

The ingredients in gatorade, are not helpful unless you are dehydrated and have excercised for at least an hour or more. Many people drink gatorade as if it were a soda everyday, and this can lead to health problems, obesity, diabetes and cancer. (source)

Switchel is not in that league at all. Its purpose is to make hydration possible where plain water is not adequate but it also helps restore bodily functions. The ingredients are natural, whole foods that support many of the body’s functions, help strengthen the immune system, can regulate blood sugar, are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and supply the nutrients our body needs. This makes it a valuable hydration or summer drink, wether you work hard or not so hard.

Other Uses For Switchel

Switchel is primarily used as a hydration drink and as such it can be used to prevent dehydration. But it can also help a sick and exhausted person to regain energy.

It can replenish lost fluids due to prolonged vomiting or diarrhea, and it can also help restore the gut flora in this case. (source)

Switchel makes a great summer drink for every day use.

Switchel might even help with a weight loss regimen, although there aren’t any hard facts supporting this, that I could find, but several references to studies that reported that vinegar helped to support weight loss efforts. (source)

It might reduce inflammation, due to the highly anti-inflammatory ingredients. (source)

Switchel can possibly help regulate blood sugar spikes when taken before a meal and improve insulin sensitivity. And there is some evidence that it might help with diabetes. (source)

The probiotics in switchel can improve gut health. (source)

And it might help support the immune system with ingredients that are high in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. (source)

Ingredients:

You can select your ingredients based on how you want to use switchel. If you’re making switchel as a fun and tasty summer drink, any ingredients will work, just pick what you prefer. If you’re looking to add electrolytes for a sports drink or to support your body during hard work, then stick to the ingredients that are high in minerals.

Water And Other Liquids

Ideally this should be filtered water. I run my water through a Berkey gravity style filter.

We’ll use about three and a half cups for a quart of switchel. 

Fruit juices can be used in place of some of the water. Many are high in potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. However, they are also high in sugar, and so they should be diluted with water if used as a hydration drink. Feel free to experiment with fruit juice flavors to make a tasty summer punch. 

Coconut water is another possibility, that can supply extra potassium.

A little fresh squeezed lemon juice would be a great addition in any case, as it is low in sugar and can supply a decent dose of vitamin C.

Organic Raw Vinegar

Raw apple cider vinegar ‘with the mother’ has so many benefits. You can read more about it on my vinegar making page. In a nutshell, vinegar is antimicrobial, it is full of probiotics that can help with gut health, and it’s been used for regulating blood sugar levels. Vinegar has also been linked with reducing obesity and helping with weight loss. (source, source, source)

And if you make your own homemade vinegar, feel free to use other fruit or berry vinegars instead.

Organic Ginger

This awesome herb has too many health benefits to list here, but you can read more about ginger’s benefits on my fermented ginger honey page. And also in the benefits of ginger beer. In short, ginger is anti-inflammatory, it can aid with digestion and reduce nausea and it will add a pleasant spicy note to your switchel. (source)

If you have trouble getting fresh organic ginger, you can also use the dried ginger. It is more potent, so only use about a quarter cup of it in this recipe.

Sweetener

Traditionally,  switchel was sweetened with molasses. But in maple country it is normally sweetened with maple syrup, and many recipes use honey. Agave or sorghum syrup will also work. You could use stevia, but it won’t supply the electrolytes and energy that the other sweeteners add. Stevia is great, if you want to just make a refreshing, low calorie summer drink, but choose the higher caloric sweeteners for a sports drink.  

Molasses

Molasses, especially blackstrap, is rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin B6. It is also high in amino acids. And molasses is rich in polyphenol antioxidants. This original sweetener still holds a place as a top choice. (source)

Maple Syrup

Maple Syrup is high in potassium, calcium, zinc and manganese. And according to many sports pages, it is a great sweetener to use in a hydration drink. It is also high in phenolic compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been attributed with the ability to lower glucose and insulin responses in the body. In New England, especially Vermont, it is the most popular and easily available sweetener to make switchel. (source, source)

Sucanat

Sucanat, also called jaggery or panela sugar, is not as high in electrolytes as molasses, because it is the whole food version of sugar cane, before the molasses has been extracted.

However, it is still quite high in electrolytes and has the benefit of being a whole food, which can make it valuable as a sweetener in switchel. Whole foods are often more easily digested and the components in it can often have a better absorption rate in the body. 

Honey

Honey is another source of electrolytes, and it is a superb sweetener and has a ton of health benefits. I do think it would be excellent to use in a tasty, healthy summer punch, where molasses might taste a bit too strong. 

Sea salt

Mineral salt supplies sodium, chloride, and trace minerals. It can help replenish the salt that is lost during perspiration. Choose Redmond’s Real Salt or Himalayan pink salt, or another unrefined sea salt. 

This is probably not needed in a summer punch, but do add it in a hydration drink. I crave salt when I sweat a lot in the summer. I tend to over-salt my foods after an exhausting day in the heat and love salty snacks too. Adding a little salt in my drink during the day can avoid depletion and the resulting craving. 

Fruits

You can add fruits to your drink as well, add slices of fruit, and let them infuse overnight. This is optional for flavoring and can add aesthetic value in a punch bowl. But it is not needed in a sports or outdoor hydration drink. 

You can also blend up the fruits and add them in place of some of the water.

Equipment:

You only need a pitcher or large canning jar, something to stir with, and a small pot to simmer the ginger rhizome.

Instructions

Place the sliced ginger with 1 ½ cups of water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it cool for 10 min.

Add your choice of sweetener to the jar or pitcher. 

Add the hot ginger water. If you are making this for later, you can pour the water plus the ginger into the pitcher and let it steep for several more hours.

Stir to dissolve the sweetener. 

Add enough water or fruit juice to fill the jar.

If you like, add some fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Add the vinegar. 

Stir everything, adjust taste, and chill if you like it cold. 

If you want to infuse with fruit pieces, you can add them sliced thinly, or diced before chilling and just let them infuse overnight.

When it’s cooled, strain out the chunks and enjoy!

Your Questions Answered:

Are there other optional add-ons I could use?

Yes, feel free to add anything that seems appropriate. Here are a few healthy add-ons:

Grated turmeric and black pepper (simmer these along with the ginger)

Cayenne pepper (this can also be added in pieces for an overnight infusion or add to the simmer pot)

Other citrus with peel for an overnight infusion

Berries such as strawberries, blueberries, black berries, raspberries or goji, aronia, cranberries or other berries. Slice, dice and add to let infuse overnight or as an aesthetic in your punch bowl. Or you can blend up the berries and mix them into the drink in place of some of the water.

Fruits, sliced or chopped such as peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, plums etc. Add sliced or diced or blend and add in place of part of the water.

Spices that can add flavor and more health benefits, such as ceylon cinnamon, cloves, or cardamom.

Herbs for flavor and also health benefits, such as mint, lemon balm, rosemary, thyme, lavender, and more.

Cucumbers might be really good too. Haven’t tried it, just an idea that popped in my mind. 

How long does switchel keep?

It’s best to drink it within a week. It’ll keep longer, but it may degrade in flavor.

Enjoy Your Delicious Switchel! 

That’s it already. Long intro for a very short recipe, lol. But choosing the right ingredients and some knowledge of why you would want to use them is important, and so I didn’t want to just skinny over that part. 

Whether it’s super hot out and you want a delicious drink to quench your thirst or you’re working out and need to get re-hydrated, switchel is a tasty, healthy and perfect drink to restore hydration and energy. 

If you found this helpful, let me know in the comments and I’d appreciate a 5 star rating. And you can save my page for later with the little icon on the right. 

I’d love to welcome you into my Food For Life Garden Community. Your subscription helps my website and I’ll be able to notify you of updates, new recipes, and homesteading advice.

More Content Like This

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar – This lovely vinegar is made from apple scraps, not the actual apple cider. But it is just as effective, easier to make and uses all those leftover apple scraps or ugly apples.

Fire Cider Recipe – Get your fire cider recipe and make this tonic to be ready for cold and flu season!

Health benefits of ginger beer Learn all about the awesomeness of ginger. Health benefits you can gain for your body when you include this versatile plant into your daily health regimen. Improve your well being get healing with many chronic issues.

Best ginger beer recipe: fizzy, delicious, healthy! Create your own non-alcoholic ginger beer from scratch, using ginger bug. Customize with your favorite add-ons. Enjoy a fizzy summer drink that is so much better in taste and for your body, than grocery aisle soda.

Ginger bug recipe puts exciting fizzy sodas on your table! Meet my friend the ginger bug and learn how to get one started for yourself. She’s the vital ingredient to making old fashioned home brewed non-alcoholic ginger beer that will rock your socks off!

Fermented Ginger Honey – Keep this potent fermented health food on hand. Use the powers of Ginger and Honey in a tasty syrup form that you’ll love.

Probiotic Ginger Paste – A convenient way to have ginger on hand when you need some, either as seasoning in cooking or baking, or to use this powerful ally in your daily health routine.

Healthy Ginger Ale Recipe for a quick refreshing pick-me-up! Learn all about the awesomeness of ginger. Health benefits you can gain for your body when you include this versatile plant into your daily health regimen. Improve your well being get healing with many chronic issues.

Shop This Post

Berkey gravity style filter
Molasses
Maple Syrup
Sucanat
Honey
Redmond’s Real Salt
Himalayan pink salt
Dried organic ginger
Raw apple cider vinegar ‘with the mother’

Azure Standard buyer’s club for any organic ingredients that you can’t find locally!

Pin This Post