Why You Should Be Making Switchel, Nature’s Gatorade
By Rochelle Bilow
Photo: Alex Lau
Put down the high-priced energy drink, the soda, the canned liquid sugar. We’ve got the boost you need, and it’s one of the easiest DIY hacks you’ll ever make. Enter switchel, a tart and pleasantly pungent mix of apple cider vinegar and maple syrup that’s diluted with water and drunk as an alterna-energy and electrolyte boost.
Related: Maple-Ginger Cider Switchel Recipe
Brad Leone, Bon Appétit‘s Test Kitchen manager is a devoted switchel fan—so much so that he created his own recipe for it. “I just love it,” he says. Farmer’s relief, as Leone calls switchel, is refreshing and a great DIY alternative to bottled drinks. Here’s what you need to know about making your own switchel.
Use the Best Ingredients You Can Find
There aren’t many ingredients in switchel—ours contains fresh ginger juice for some zing, citrus, maple, apple cider vinegar, and seltzer (plus optional mint). With such a simple list, it’s important to use the best version of every ingredient you can find (no fake syrup allowed). Besides: Switchel is essentially a health tonic. It’s only as virtuous as its parts.
Big-Batch It and Sip All Week
This recipe easily doubles, triples, and quadruples, making it great for storing in the fridge—or sharing with friends.
Dilute With Seltzer for a Fizzy Kick
Like cold-brew coffee, we like to make a concentrated batch of switchel and dilute it with water or seltzer throughout the week. Add more water for a thinner drink; less for a more syrupy consistency. Why use seltzer? “It’s fun!” says Leone.
Related: Cold-Brew Coffee Concentrate
Keep It All In Balance
Pure maple syrup is seriously saccharine. It’s easy to go overboard when mixing a batch of switchel, so start with less syrup than you think you’ll want. You can always add more later, but you can’t remove it from the batch. Says Leone, “A good switchel should quench your thirst, not coat your mouth.”
Make It a Mixer
Could you add alcohol to your switchel? We’re 99.9% positive it’s been done before. (Okay, 100%. The writer of this article confesses). But it’s also a great mixer for NA cocktails, as well. Take it from Leone: “I bet this would be great cut with a little lemonade.”
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