Turmeric Ginger Summer Switchel

 

Excited to share my new favorite summer drink! Why Turmeric? In botanical medicine it goes by it's Latin name, Curcuma Longa. It is a member of the ginger family and is a rhizome that looks like ginger, but is bright orange/yellow. The orange color is the carotenoid called 'curcumin' which is responsible for the amazing health benefits including high antioxidant power. Turmeric is wonderful for soothing and quenching all sorts of inflammation. We now understand that inflammation is at the root of many common chronic illnesses. It has anti-cancer as well as brain protective benefits. With dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases on the rise, I am definitely looking for prevention strategies, especially ones that taste so good! If you are looking for a way to add delicious supercharged nutrition to your life, you can't go wrong with Turmeric!

It is also slightly bitter, and a warming, stimulating herb which helps with bile production, and can support healthy cholesterol levels. We know it is absorbed best when in the presence of black pepper. In this recipe I use doTERRA black pepper essential oil which is really mild and adds a great balance to the flavor.

If you want to purchase black pepper oil you can do that here. 

Ginger is a natural companion to turmeric. Very anti-inflammatory itself, it also helps with digestion, has anticancer benefits too. Ginger has been shown to reduce migraine pain and menstrual cramps. This is powerful kitchen medicine! A switchel is an old fashioned beverage using apple cider vinegar with some sort of sweetener- commonly honey, maple syrup, or molasses. I will be experimenting with using a xylitol simple syrup to reduce the glycemic impact of the switchel. However, the amount of honey used in this recipe is relatively small, and the switchel is diluted with still or sparkling water, so the sugar content is much lower than most commercially available sodas and drinks.

Here is the recipe:

Equal parts fresh turmeric and ginger juice. I juiced them in my champion juicer, however if you do not have a juicer you can grate them on a fine, microplane grater, and then add the freshly grated roots to the apple cider vinegar mixture. When you serve it you will just want to strain it first. So you can scale this recipe as you want, but for this example let's say we have 1/4 cup combined turmeric and ginger juices. 

To this you will add 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon, lime or a combo of juice.

Then add 3/4 cup Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

Then stir in your sweetener. I used honey in mine and I used 1/2 cup. You may like it more or less sweet and you can adjust to your taste. 

4 drops black pepper essential oil

Stir all together. This makes the base of your switchel drink. It is very strong by itself. To serve, add 2-3 Tablespoons to a 12 oz glass filled with ice and either still or sparkling water. It is also delicious added to summer cocktails! Be aware that the Turmeric can stain anything it comes in contact with!

Enjoy!