Switchel, also known as Haymaker’s Punch, is a refreshing drink made with apple cider vinegar. It was how colonial farmers quenched their thirst out in the hot, sunbaked fields—which is enough of an endorsement for me!
This drink is also called Haymaker’s Punch because it was often drunk while haying—which is hard work under the hot summer sun!
What Is Switchel?
Switchel has a long history as a traditional drink with Colonial Americans. (Read about the Read about the history of Switchel.) It’s easy to make with just a few ingredients—apple cider vinegar, ginger, water, and a sweetener.
Think of it as “Nature’s Gatorade.” It will give you an energizing electrolyte boost better than any pricey energy drink or soda. All the ingredients (except water, of course) are actually sources of the electrolyte potassium. Switchel is known as a health tonic that boosts the immune system, too (but don’t tell the kids it’s “healthy”). Apple cider vinegar even helps to detoxify your organs!
Its cold-weather cousin, Apple-Cider Tonic, is also known to keep your immune system running smoothly and can help keep you safe from those nasty winter colds.
We tested a few great switchel recipes to see if it really lived up to its old-fashioned fame.
Old-Fashioned Switchel Recipe
Here’s a classic Haymaker’s Punch recipe, which was unearthed from the archives of The Old Farmer’s Almanac:
- 1 gallon water
- 1 ½ cups molasses
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
We like molasses, but you could replace it with maple syrup, honey, or another sweetener. You could cut back the sweetener, too. Find the right balance for you. Remember to start with less—as you can always add more. Switchel shouldn’t coat your mouth; it should taste refreshing. Another idea is to add a teaspoon of fresh lemon or lime juice for zing.
Switchel Recipe from an Almanac Reader
Here’s an alternative switchel recipe to try, courtesy of Dennis Miles, an Almanac Facebook fan and full-time blacksmith. He drinks his Haymaker’s Punch from a mid-19th century haymaker’s jug.
- 1 gallon water
- 2 cups raw or dark brown sugar
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ginger (fresh)
Serve in mason jars.
Switchel: A Refreshing Summer Drink
My friend, Wendy, and I decided to make a pitcher one summer’s day, using our Almanac recipe.
Mmmm! Switchel is so refreshing and delicious! It tastes pleasantly tart and, surprisingly, not too sweet.
And, boy, is it drinkable—much more so than plain water. I’ll say that it did quench my thirst for water, but not for switchel. We drank half the pitcher!
You can make the switchel last longer or less sweet by adding more water or a bubbly seltzer. (My guess is it could turn into a cocktail drink, too.)
Learn More
Learn more about the History of Switchel from the Almanac archives.
If you enjoyed switchel, try out our other refreshing drink recipes:
Reader Comments
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Switchel
I absolutely love Braggs apple cider vinegar drinks, but as of late, can not find them. So, I took a Switchel recipe and modified it for my personal taste. I make a ginger tea with dehydrated ginger from Penzeys Spices. When cool, mix with water, Braggs Apple cider vinegar, Lakanto liquid Monkfruit sweetener and a little lime juice. Pretty darn good!
switchel from apple juice instead of water
Hi every one,
I stumbled on this by mistake one day when I had a lot of homemade apple juice.
I took a quart jar and filled it most of the way with the apple juice. I then added a good big shot of Organic Braggs apple cider vinegar with the mother. I then made some ginger tea
added a quarter cup to the mix. No sugar needed to be added as the apple cider all ready has plenty of sugar, but it is not enough to really bother diabetics. WOW, very little taste of the vinegar, a sweet taste, and still plenty of value for rehydrating. Try it you'll like it
Switchel (Haymaker's Punch) Recipe
This is very similar to the medieval recipe for Sekanjabin I make every summer.
White Vinegar
Sugar
Water
And whatever flavoring (I like fresh mint and lemon)
Put everything in a pot simmer for half hour. Strain.
Delute to taste to serve.
Different Vinegar?
Very intrigued by this recipe especially as I'm currently suffering through a humid Japanese summer. Unfortunately it is a bit difficult to find any vinegar other than rice wine here. I know it would have a different flavor, but do you think rice wine vinegar would work or just be gross?
rice wine vinegar
Hi, Kali. We really wouldn’t recommend using rice wine vinegar.
Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is super easy to make if apples are readily available to you. AMD it only calls for one other ingredients besides water and apples pieces...a little sugar!
Switchel
I love Switchel/Harvester's punch. I use a gallon of filtered water, 1 cup honey, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp baking soda. Tastes great, keeps me hydrated during the hot Texas summers. I used to drink Gatorade but didn't like some of the ingredients (food coloring). I can drink half a gallon of this a day. Helps me to stay alert thru meetings too!
switchel
I made the Switchel. It's fantastic. I couldn't stop drinking it. Very refreshing and drinkable.
Taste
Not sure how this is supposed to taste, but I cannot get past the smell. My children won't touch it either. That turned out to be a very expensive mistake. I may attempt it with honey at another time, but this all went into the compost pile.
Haymakers Punch or Switchel drink
do you refrigerate the drink after making or leave it at room temperature?
switchel
We refrigerate. Very refreshing!
Haymakers
For the people who have not found it yet, you can buy small jars of chopped ginger in just about any store. I keep mine with my butter after opening and it keep just about forever.
I just tried a ginger beer, but found it too strong and this sounds like a good way to make a drink. With my kegerator and CO2 it should reduce my consumption of cola products.
Since I purchase cola syrup, this might also work as a new recipe, I will develop one and post later.
Vinegar
Does it matter whether regular cider vinegar or does it need to be the one with "mother" it it?
apple cider vinegar
Interesting question! Any apple cider vinegar will do in terms of taste and refreshment. The “Mother” refers to an organic and unrefined version of apple cider vinegar which has some health benefits that extend beyond the culinary use.
switchel
I would spend summers on my great aunt and uncles farm in Iowa. My great aunt would make this for the field hands mid morning and mid afternoon to "give 'em a boost". I had forgotten about it until I saw this article. Thanks, I always had preferred this to lemonade.
Another recipe
Laura Ingals Wilder has a recipe for switchel in her cookbook which was based on the recipes that she described in the "Little House" book series. It describes Ma mixing up water in a big jug with ginger and vinegar and sending Laura out to the field to give it to Pa while he was cutting hay or wheat (I forget which now). Later on, Ma prepares lunch and they all eat together. The cookbook is great if you are looking for old recipes or ways to prepare food like how to make butter or cheese.
Farmer's Almanac
Our family has lived with two book of instructions all my life and it has worked so well,
the BIBLE and The Farmer's Almanac. Just read the instructions
Year for OFA Switchel or Haymaker's Punch?
This is a great post! Could you please supply the year (you only mention the "1930s") of the Old Farmer's Almanac in which this is found? I have access to many (but not all) from the 1930s and haven't been able to find it. Many, many thanks!
Switchel
I haven't made switchel in literally years! I always added oatmeal water to the recipe, and took it along on competitive and other trail rides: a quart bottle for me, and a gallon jug for my horse.
Switchel
Coming from a predominantly European family being first generation American, I've been blessed with many formulas, many of which have no names.
However, if this Switchel recipe is altered slightly, it matches one of my drink formulas.
instead of a simple gallon of water, make it infused with Allspice, forget the ginger, and use raw cane sugar for sweetness to taste, you will be surprised how little you need.
Or use a bartenders sweetener grenadine, it also adds color :)
Switchel
Hi - this drink is almost identical to a summer refresher used in Iran as a desert. The ginger is a nice addition. Another use for this: slowly reduce the mixture to a thin syrup and use it to dip fresh lettuce leaves in as a desert!
switchel...ginger
I recently read that ginger affects over 300 body functions, it must be very nutritious.
This is a surprisingly
This is a surprisingly refreshing drink! I thought that the molasses and dark brown sugar would overpower, but the flavors are wonderfully balanced. It is tart and sweet and with the addition of carbonated water it is better than a soft drink! Yum!
Made a batch of this today
Made a batch of this today and it's delicious! I used a microplane to grind up a tablespoon of fresh ginger and used a little less than a half cup of molasses and about a half cup of honey for sweetener. I didn't want it real sweet or have too much of a molasses taste. It turned out great!
This sounds absolutely
This sounds absolutely wonderful I can't wait to try it thanks so much for sharing...
Does anyone think Stevia
Does anyone think Stevia could be used in place of all the sugary ideas? I limit my sugar because it causes too much inflamation in my arthritic joints
Sure, you'd have to try it
Sure, you'd have to try it and see how it tastes. Let us know if you do!
Yes, that's what I use.
Yes, that's what I use.
Switchel with Stevia
You absolutely can use 100% organic stevia in Switchel instead of the calorie sweeteners! It is fantastic and that's the way I drink mine....
You should really state fresh
You should really state fresh ginger in the ingredient list if that is what you are calling for. I made it with ground, YUK! Will have to try again with fresh.
The recipe was tested with
The recipe was tested with fresh ginger. We never tried ground ginger and didn't know how it would turn out. We apologize that you were the tester here, unbeknownst to you! We will state "fresh" ginger above.
It does say fresh!
It does say fresh!
For those NOT out in the hay
For those NOT out in the hay fields, I've found this drink to be particularly refreshing. 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, and fill the blender up with watermelon, seedless, cut into cubes, and frozen solid (about 4 cups). Using the 'crushed ice' setting, chop/crush until slushy, adding water thru the top to make a slurry. Then add 8 cups of water, blend until well-mixed. This also makes a great mixer! ;)
Thanks for the posts.Going to
Thanks for the posts.Going to try this one.
How much powdered ginger do i
How much powdered ginger do i use. i have NO juicer and no way to make powder ginger
when you freeze your ginger
when you freeze your ginger root and then shave it with a cheese / choclate grater or micro food planer,....you will get a fine ginger powder. the root keeps for ever if sealed in plasic and freezer bag...i just peel a bit of the root and use in my marinades as well
Ginger is strong so you can
Ginger is strong so you can muddle raw ginger in the drink for flavor and strain it out... Im a bartender and thats what i would do anyway ;)
When I made it the first time
When I made it the first time I found the fresh grated ginger was too much after a few hours. When I made it a second time I peeled the fresh ginger and cut it into chunks that I could fish out when I felt the ginger flavor was strong enough. Worked well!
Hi folks, For those who find
Hi folks, For those who find the Switchel too sugary, you could replace the sugar and molasses with a few tablespoons of maple syrup. Just find the right balanace of sweetness for you. Also, we like to add some zing with a couple tablespoons of lime juice.
Ginger heats your body,
Ginger heats your body, that's why it's used for menstrual cramps....wonder why they used it in a Summer cooler???
it is because raising your
it is because raising your body heat makes the outside feel cooler to you. This is why you should drink hot beverages and soup in the summer, not ice cold drinks. Cools down your body
Because if you raise your
Because if you raise your body temperature on a hot day you feel cooler. Same idea as drinking a hot drink on a hot day makes you feel cooler
It doesn't say what type of
It doesn't say what type of ginger was called for. Powdered or grated fresh? What did the recipe tester use?
This recipe calls for fresh
This recipe calls for fresh ginger. One teaspoon grated fresh ginger equals 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. The fresher ingredients, the better, but not everyone can get fresh ginger. Not sure how ground would turn out.
What do u think they used
What do u think they used back then??
Hello! Should the ginger be
Hello! Should the ginger be fresh? And if so, how prepared? What is the original recipe? Would love to see it.
Thank you in advance!
Definitely use fresh ginger
Definitely use fresh ginger if you have it. This recipe is all about freshness and the best ingredients. (There aren't many of them.) This recipe calls for grating it. Or, perhaps you could try putting it through a juicer?
Switchel - Blackstrap Molasses
sassygogo, I rather doubt that the Blackstrap is the problem. I think it is just a LOT of molasses. I would have a hard time drinking that (don't think I could choke it down, tho I'm like it sounds like you are, and hate to throw out! Hate waste!)with that much molasses in it.
But then, I'm not a huge molasses fan. When I do use molasses, I only use Blackstrap. At least there is quite a few nutrients for that many carbs.
Speaking of carbs, I also couldn't drink this as it is SO carby!!!
And I personally am not a ginger fan either. Especially powdered ginger.
But that is me! Everyone is different. We all have different tastes. Some people can also handle the carbs, I can't! All in all this just doesn't sound like my cup of tea.
Not putting the recipe down for everyone else, just not for me.
I am interested in trying out
I am interested in trying out both of the recipe suggestions. I'm like the first commenter...I LOVE blackstrap molasses. I even use a tablespoon in my one cup of decaf "cold" coffee each morning! I started out using it for the calcium, as I needed a LOT! now I'm hooked on the taste of the coffee with the blackstrap in it! not sure about the ginger though, but may try it anyway. thanks for the recipes! very interested in what farmers did years ago to "get by"!
Switchel
uh all I had was Blackstrap Molasses.......my results, yuck. Maybe it needs to be colder or don't use Blackstrap. Regardless I will choke it down, can't see waisting good ingredients. Maybe ice cold will help. Wouldn't this drink work to keep you regular?? Maybe it should be drunk in moderation? I though molasses was a natural laxative?
switchel
The recipe I have, passed down from my great aunt, does not call for mollasses but rather cidar vinegar.Tangy!
I would love you're recipe
I would love you're recipe with the Cider vinegar please!!!
Switchel recipe
Since I don't usually have fresh lemons on hand, can anyone tell me approximately how many tablespoons of juice 1 lemon produces?
One lemon equals about 4T
One lemon equals about 4T juice, or 1/4 cup
switchel recipe
My drink of choice is a package of lemonade drink mix, one qt. water, and an equal amount of brewed tea, and sugar to taste. VERY thirst-quenching.