Hydration is crucial all the time, but especially during the summer months when we endure hot temperatures, outdoor activities, and long hours in the sun.
Water often isn’t enough to quench our thirst, especially when we need minerals to balance electrolytes and keep us well-hydrated.
Big companies know this… So we have them to thank for the sugary concoctions — Gatorade and Powerade — marketed to children and athletes.
You see, Gatorade and Powerade (just 2 of many marketed sports drinks) actually work! They do replenish electrolytes for anyone who’s lost a lot of fluid due to sweating.
The problem is that they’re also loaded with sugar, artificial colors, artificial flavors, and often GMOs. (Here are two hydrating and electrolyte-rich REAL FOOD sports drink recipes you can make at home.)
Not surprisingly, our ancestors knew the importance of hydration — long before science discovered electrolytes! So, they created traditional drinks — like switchel — to refresh and replenish after a long, hot day of sweating in the sun.
A Quick History Of Switchel
The origins of the drink are fuzzy. Some sources say it was brought to the colonies from the West Indies. Others credit it to Amish communities, who still serve it. It may also be related to oxymel, the medicinal mixture of water, honey and vinegar that dates back to Hippocrates. (Source.)
No matter where it’s from, switchel — also known as switzel or haymaker’s punch — was served to men and women working in hot fields during the Colonial era.
The saying goes, “Make hay while the sun shines”, yet hay-making (especially back then) is hard, hot work!
Plain water was not — and still isn’t — enough to replenish electrolytes and prevent dehydration. So, mineral-rich vinegar and molasses (or maple syrup or honey) were added to the water, along with fresh ginger, to quench the thirst of hard-working haymakers during a time before electrolyte drinks, like Gatorade, were invented.
The basic ingredients of switchel are the same now as they were then: water, vinegar, ginger, and a whole sweetener.
To produce different flavors of switchel, simply add fresh or frozen fruits and berries of choice! I think you’ll also love my Pineapple Mango Switchel and Fizzy Apple Cider Switchel!
Benefits Of Switchel
It’s the ultimate, traditional sports drink! Use it to replenish electrolytes after a workout, working outdoors in the heat, taking a sauna, or any other activity that heats you up and causes you to sweat.
We even put it in our water bottles instead of water when we go on summer hikes!
Switchel is also anti-inflammatory, pH-balancing, and very low in sugar.
When made with raw honey, this Mixed Berry Switchel is even GAPS Diet- and AIP-friendly!
Super Easy, 5-Ingredient, 5-Minute Probiotic Mixed Berry Switchel
Making Mixed Berry Switchel couldn’t be easier… even easier than water kefir and Kombucha! In fact, it’s as simple as combining all your ingredients in a jar or pitcher and refrigerating for at least 8 hours. That’s really it!
And, you likely already have most, if not all, of these nourishing ingredients on-hand anyway. 🙂
To make this 5-ingredient Probiotic Mixed Berry Switchel you will need:
- fresh, filtered water
- 2 to 4 types of berries, either fresh or frozen (Here’s how to use frozen fruit for switchel.)
- 1 to 2 inches of fresh ginger
- raw honey or other whole sweetener (only raw honey is GAPS- and AIP-approved)
- raw apple cider vinegar
- stevia (not GAPS or AIP, more below)
Does Switchel Have You Puckering?
If you noticed the raw apple cider vinegar in those ingredients and wondered about this drink being sour… you are correct! It is slightly sour, sort of like Kombucha.
So, if you love the sourness of Kombucha, you’ll likely love this Mixed Berry Switchel as-is.
If, however, you just can’t do the sourness, you can add extra sweetness without adding extra sugar by using stevia!
I don’t add stevia to the entire batch. Rather, I make the recipe as written, and then let everyone add their own stevia to taste when they pour their glass.
If someone in your home is following the GAPS Diet or AIP protocol, they should not add stevia to their switchel.
Probiotic Mixed Berry Switchel {paleo, GAPS, AIP}
Our ancestors knew the importance of hydration -- long before science discovered electrolytes! So, they created traditional drinks, like switchel, to refresh and replenish after a long, hot day of sweating in the sun. This easy and tasty Probiotic Mixed Berry Switchel has just 5 ingredients and a 5-minute prep!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw apple cider vinegar with the mother
- 1/3 cup raw honey or molasses or maple syrup
- 1 cup berries mixed, of choice
- 1 to 2 inches fresh ginger peeled and diced
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice from approximately 1 lemon
- pure water to fill a half-gallon Mason jar
Instructions
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Add the ingredients in the order listed to a half-gallon Mason jar or pitcher.
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Stir with a wooden spoon until the sweetener is dissolved.
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Cover and place in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.
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Serve, adding stevia if more sweetness is desired.
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Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Recipe Notes
- Enjoy this tasty Switchel while refreshing and replenishing after a long, hot day of sweating in the sun.
- Switchel is anti-inflammatory, pH-balancing, and very low in sugar.
Other Fermented Beverages
- How To Make Kombucha (pictured above)
- The ULTIMATE Kombucha Guide
- The ULTIMATE Water Kefir Guide
- 50+ Probiotic & Fermented Drinks Beyond Kombucha & Kefir!
- Is Jun Right For You? All Your Questions Answered!
- Honey-Sweetened Ginger Beer {probiotic, non-alcoholic, GAPS-friendly natural soda!}
- Spontaneously Fermented Sparkling Apple Cider
- How To Make Beet Kvass
This post was featured in 98 Healthy & Easy 4th of July Recipes.
Looking for more ways to use up frozen or fresh mixed berries? Try these!
- Gluten Free Mixed Berry Cobbler
- Mixed Berry Bread Pudding
- Mixed Berry Kefir Popsicles
- Mixed Berry Chia Seed Jam
- Mixed Berry Hormone Balancing Smoothie
Have you ever heard of or made switchel? What fruits would you add for flavor?
...without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!
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I started making switchel a couple years ago. When I told my mom about it, she said my dad used to talk about his Aunt Dorothy making it for the corn-shelling crew and that he loved it. This would have been in the late 30’s/early 40’s in Southern MN. Made me happy to think I discovered something my dad would have loved. Wish he could have tried mine to tell me if it was what he remembered. My husband and adult children love it! I use raw honey, molasses AND maple syrup. My son likes his with a little cayenne in it!
Could I use only stevia in the switchels or do I have to use honey or sugar first and then stevia at the end?
Where’s the probiotic?
The Apple Cider Vinegar is the probiotic. As long as you get one that is raw with the mother it will be full of good bacteria!
In the raw apple cider vinegar.
Would this be helpful after a stomach virus?
I thought you weren’t supposed to refrigerate Apple Cider Vinegar because it will kill the good bacteria?
Would you blend all the ingredients first or do you leave the fruits whole? Thanks, can’t wait to try this!
Thanks
Do you strain the berries out? Thank you!