It is getting hot out there!
Summer in Sweetwater County is always a fantastic time with plenty to do and only a few short months to do it. Of course, living in southwest Wyoming also means contending with some very hot days while recreating or working outdoors, and while most people are more than happy to hydrate with some cool water, sometimes that isn’t enough. Sometimes, something to return that pep in one’s step is needed. Sure, you could reach for a bottle containing a neon-colored sports drink, but why not go for something a bit more natural and perhaps tastier?
People have been enjoying that kind of drink for more than 1,000 years while laboring through long, hot days. In America, a drink of this cooled mixture of a syrup, ginger, water, and vinegar was enough to get field workers the energy and hydration they needed to get back to work. Going by names such as haymaker punch, swizzle, harvest punch, and Yankee punch, switchel may have fallen out of favor as far as modern tastes go, but it has what you need to power though a hot summer day.
Switchel
There are quite a few resources explaining the history of the drink, including popular YouTube channels Tasting History with Max Miller and Townsends. Switchel is a version of a similar drink that has been enjoyed for more than a millennium across different regions of the world. The American switchel is believed to have come from the Caribbean as ingredients from the region were popular in New England, though it’s also possible it came from the Amish. Regardless of how it came here, it became an American drink that was enjoyed in the fields, at universities, and in the halls of Congress (often spiked with some rum.)
What you’ll need:
- 1 gallon of water
- 2 cups of maple syrup, honey, or molasses (use a light molasses)
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of powdered ginger (I like ginger and double this amount)
Also consider adding:
- The juice and zest of 1 lime
- Rum to taste
Fill a pitcher with cool water, then add the molasses, apple cider vinegar, and powdered ginger. Stir until the ginger and syrup is combined into liquid. Refrigerate and serve cold.
