Switchel - The Farmer's Gatorade of the 19th Century
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If left alone for a while, maybe it ferments into a spirit. Test it. Leave it in a cellar for a few months.
Did it make you poop?
I've had CZcams premium for years now and won't ever go back. The music is a nice bonus!
Ive had primeum for the past 8 years... Strange how this is the first time I've seen an in video add for it happy to see you get sponserd
> Vinegar
> Sour
> CZcams Premium
I see what you did there
Max, you're gonna be so happy. All of those drinks are real!
A "Phlegm cutter" is a shot of whiskey taken to alleviate congestion when one can't afford the adornments common in a "Hot toddy".
A Gin Sling is a gin-based cocktail usually mixed with fruit juice (especially lemon) and bitters. A Singapore Sling is a common modern variant.
A drink "talabogus" means a drink sweetened with molasses and usually references adding rum but not always. For example, A purl (not mentioned) is a hot beer and gin, but a purl talabogus is hot beer, rum, and molasses. Callibogus and tallibogus are interchangeable.
A hail storm is any sweetened drink served in a glass with crushed ice that looks like hail. Or served with actual hail!
If I were to take a guess, a hailstorm ginsling talabogus would therefore be Gin, lemon juice, bitters, rum, and molasses served in a glass with crushed ice. The man knows what he likes!
One must pause to wonder whether such a legendary litany was simply his first order one night.
Phlegm cutter was what may father would call a shot of bourbon or whiskey when he had a cold. But I would have sworn the talabogus was bogus. Interesting how things change.
Fascinating! Thank you for the information.
I've also seen a phlegm cutter be a shot of vodka. This was with a Ukrainian Canadian family, so clearly there's a preference for their own alcohol haha.
I was just thinking Swichel would be good hot too, which i guess is an obvious conclusion lol, even today people have a hot shot of something or irish coffee when they're sick.
Townsends fans know.
I'm glad i wasn't the only one whose thought was wait, didn't i see that on townsends channel too
I thought I was having a deja vu moment. Thanks for reminding me of Townsend's coverage.
That's a niche comment
Ngl I thought this was a Townsends video and thought ”huh, I thought they already did that, I’ll watch it later” and then the Discord alert came through 😅
@nothingbutchappy nich!? No way! I think you underestimate ex big Townsends actually is!
I've been making a half-gallon batch of this for a daily morning drink for years now. Half a gallon of it usually lasts me a week. I make a slightly different version: 1/2 gallon water; juice of 1 lemon; 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar; knob of fresh ginger about the size of a pingpong ball, grated, 1/2 cup honey; 1 turmeric root about the size of your pinky finger, grated; and 1/4 tsp of sea salt (for electrolytes) all mixed together. The turmeric gives it a bit of an earthy taste, but I find it helps the swelling in my knees. I got this recipe off the side of an apple cider vinegar jar, minus the turmeric.
Thanks!
All of those Sam Slick drinks are, as far as I can tell, real. I'll dig into it a little bit more. Some of them might be very local names for drinks that were more broadly known, but they're close enough to ring a bell as it is.
Have we finally found a way to work together? 😃
I'd watch the hell out of that
This crossover would get my like
@@TastingHistory MAKE IT HAPPEN
I'd absolutely love to see a collab like that. Maybe have greg make each of the drinks, then max doing snippets of history on the cocktail in the slow mo shots haha
spiced vinegar seems to be a common drink across history
It really is
Well, you have to do something with it when the wine turns.
Lemonade is very popular now on a hot day. Vinegar is just another tart addition to a beverage before citrus was widely available.
@@ZootofanthraxQuite true. In moderation its quite good for you after exercise too
This reminds me of the Roman "Posca".
You definitely have to boil down the birch sap water to make it into a sweet syrup. Like others have mentioned, even maple sap isn't very sweet until you boil it. I grew up in New England and remember seeing birch syrup in country stores
This. Also once you open that jar you should keep it in the fridge and it'll only last like a week. It lasts a lot longer once it's boiled down and the sugar concentration is much higher (like maple syrup or honey last practically forever)
Started to say I have had it and it is quite flavorful. Granted mine was likely boiled down because I got it from... moonshine distillers.
you can also ferment the birch sap water with sugar and lemon or raisins and make a drink out of that. people in eastern europe do it.
"Not everyone was so tolerant of their neighbor's switchel recipe..."
Maple sap is my favorite drink mixer during syruping seas🍸
In one of the Little House books, Laura takes a jug of this out to Pa when he's working in the field. She didn't call it switchel, though. If I remember correctly, they just called it "ginger water." She also mentions that same ability of it to not cause stomach cramps. It's been close to thirty years since I read those books, but that ginger water has always stuck in my memory.
Wasn't there another book where Laura helped out her pa for the first time and her ma made sweet water as a treat? Or are they the same thing and I'm remembering incorrectly 😂
My neighbor was an extra on that show.
His RV burned down on Christmas, I heard the propane tanks and shotgun shells going off.
You took my comment.❤️
@@KarensagainstkarensAnd I'm not giving it back!
Those books had a ton of cool memories written in by the author with details often overlooked by the reader. There's a mention of ball lightning entering the house through the chimney and exiting out the front door in one of the books.
Grew up on this stuff. Knew it as haymakers punch, sour punch, or just switchel. Slightly different recipe but they do vary. Apple cider vinegar was always raw unfiltered with the mother. We used chunked giner root boiled down in water, and the giner chunks were removed and used for giner chew candy later. Lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, your choise of sweetener, molases, honey, or maple syrup. When i was a kid my grandfather would keep 2 quarts in mason jars in the stream so we had it ice cold after haying, picking syrawberries, or tending the garden. As an adult I enjoy it on hot days after yard work with ice and a little bourbon.
Hey Seth, Any chance you could write the actual recipe down? This sounds amazing and I would like to keep it on hand for the kids this summer as well as myself with some Bourbon handy!
This sounds amazing, would love to try your grandparent’s recipe for after haying this summer! We still do it the old school way
@nikkireigns @RickReardon -3 cups pealed and chopped ginger (roughly 1/2" chunks) about a half pound if you are buying fresh ginger.
-18 cups water
-2 cups lemon juice
-1 1/2 cup apple cider with the mother
Spiced: (your choice here) I use 1 Tbs of cinnamon and a tsp of turmeric.
Bring all ingredients to a rolling boil in a large pot, covered. Once boiling, reduce to a low boil for 10 minutes. Let sit to cool for 30 minutes. Remove ginger chunks (a slotted spoon works pretty well.) Add your choice of sweatener until its as sweet as you like (maple syrup or molases are probably the best, I use Stevia as im diabetic and not a lot because i like mine on the tart side.) Refrigerate.
@@sethm7595 Thanks much!
A syrup seller I talked to at a farmers market said that birch sap needs to be heavily reduced to make what we'd consider a syrup, the standard for table syrup being 110:1 (that is, 110 gallons of sap only makes 1 gallon of syrup!). By comparison, maple sap is reduced about 40:1, so its about 2-3x sweeter than birch in its natural state.
Wow!
Yes, that is correct, it's mostly just water.
Yeah that was my thought as well when he got the straight birch sap. I didn't know the ratio for birch but i was like isn't maple something like 40:1? There's no way the birch sap is going to taste like much of anything straight.
I would love to make and taste birch beer. Maple beer sounds disgusting. I think the birch is worth the effort
A quart jar of birch sap doesn't seem to be good for anything, then, beyond sating the curiosity of people who wonder what unreduced birch sap tastes like.
Well this is serendipitous! I am a Mainer. My Great grandmother told me all about Switchel and what it had to do with the working men in my family. Her husband used to make it for the men when they would come in from working in the woods or fields. It was so strong, some of the men thought it was whiskey! She made it for me to try. She died this week. This was perfect timing for me. Thank you. ☺️
Sorry for your loss!
so sorry for your loss
Sorry for your loss. May she live on in your favorite recipes.
Sorry for your loss. Make a jug of switchel.
❤
Hi, Max, retired Science teacher here. I've always had, and still have, a strong interest in History, in particular the technology, foods, clothing, etc. of everyday life in past times. I found your channel about a year ago, and I greatly enjoy your recipes and your presentation style. Thank you for your work in researching and presenting these foods and beverages. 👍
In the 1980s I spent several summers working on a relative's farm in Austria. One of the primary beverages they had was "most", hard pear cider that was made on the farm. On days we were bringing in hay, in the morning we would prepare several jugs of "most" with added water and vinegar, to drink throughout the day. This video brought back some good memories!
what no recipe
Wow I wish they sold that
My grandma made this for my grandpa. He was a dairy farmer in Florida before air conditioner. They moved there in the 30s from Wisconsin. As a kid we loved it too. My husband and kids hate it. It was made with simple syrup, vinegar, and ginger. They called it witches brew.
In case anyone else was coming to the comments to look for it, Max's recipe is
1.25gal water (20c)
1c apple vinegar
2tbsp ginger
2c sweeteners
For once I actually had all the ingredients on hand so I have a batch in the fridge right now!
You can use lemon juice in place of vinegar if you like.
c? Like cubic something? A cc is a cubic centimeter a.k.a. a milliliter. But you prbly dun mean that 😅
EDIT: ooooh, cups
How was it?
I think ill use crystallized ginger in mine. Sounds yummy. Will add some maple syrup too.
@@Broocklei think it's supposed to be "cups"
My Dad (born in 1927) worked in the hay fields in Hanover south of Boston as a teenager and spoke of switchel being one of the perks of the job. He also loved shrubs and I still make them every summer. Great videos!
9:29 Townsend should have a picture of you pop up, everytime he says hardtack. 😅
Here's a fun fact about birch sap: it contains Xylitol, a natural sweetener that has some anti-caries properties and because of this, it is used here in Finland to make xylitol chewing gum. Birch sap has also been used here historically as an emergency beverage and an ingredient in a type of mead called mahlasima (sap mead).
I love the idea of an emergency mead or emergency beverage. QUICK, A HORN OF MEAD WILL SAVE HIS LIFE!
But its highlly toxic to animals, especially dogs, so please be carefull.
@@0rderofTheWhiteLotus different kind of emergency. :p without clean water around, the birch sap water is already filtered by the tree and in spring when the leaves are budding it's plentiful & easy to get.
Yes, I'm from Sweden and I'm so used to xylitol I thought it was used everywhere, but I moved abroad and there's no xylitol. Weirdos! 😂
Xylitol is also deadly to dogs!
I'm surprised sorghum wasn't mentioned as a sweetener. Great Grandma used that as sweetener in her Haymakers punch. All her older (generational) recipes were molasses, sorghum, and honey as sweetener. She used to make it for me and friends when we showed up at her place after bicycling all day. "We were drinking water like field hands" in her vernacular.
I think thats do to it mostly being used for animal feed in the US.
Wrong part of the country for sorghum, that was mostly grown in the south like in Kentucky.
That would be a great episode to cover the use of sorghum syrup
My grandparents in Georgia always had a can of sorghum syrup on the table. They ate it on cornbread and biscuits or drizzled over vegetables. A lard biscuit with ham and sorghum is a terrific breakfast.
Sorghum is used as the main ingredient in some traditional Chinese confectionery
This is the first time since I left the farm that I heard the phrase " making hay". Milking was also known as "making milk"... Brings back a host of memories, thank you..
In the 1960's I used to work the hay fields of my uncle's farm in upstate New York. We always had a big jug of switchel to quench our thirst and it was always very enjoyable! Great childhood memories.
Thank you, Max. I've had to make switchel for my elderly father for the past few years. When he got sober 35 years ago, he drank Gatorade instead, but he developed an allergy to artificial food coloring. (Which Gatorade cannot be made without.)
I began researching an alternative for an electrolyte drink (being that my father is quite active outside) and came across references to switchel. I've experimented and came up with a "just add water" mix that I make once a week in several jars, and he just dumps it in a big jar and adds water.
This is my recipe, so it's strayed from the origins Max just showed us:
1/4c maple syrup
1/4c apple cider vinegar
1/4c lemon juice
1/4c lime juice
1 in piece of fresh ginger, sliced
1tsp table salt
Mix all together in a pint jar, store in the fridge.
EDIT:Add to 1/2 gal of cold water. It's essentially "lemon-lime Gatorade".
(I had mistakenly said 1 gallon, it's a half. My apologies for destroying the world ;p ).
My father loves the stuff. So, yeah, my need to make it was due to food color allergies.
And the cramps the old references talk about? Muscle cramps due to potassium deficiency because of sweating too much. That's why electrolytes need to be rebalanced.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
You might also check out Pokari Sweat, a Japanese brand of electrolyte beverage. No artificial dyes or flavors, and it tastes like grapefruit juice.
I just made a batch following Max's recipe. It was good, yours looks awesome, trying it next! Thank you!
@Swindle1984 It is, unfortunately also quite expensive to buy in the US.
This would probably also be great if made with carbonated water.
From the Little House on the Prairie books; Laura carried a jug of switchel out to Pa while he was working in the fields. Ma had made it, and the entire family drank it. Pa was the one that enjoyed it the most.
I was just thinking about this! I grew up on a hay farm and was obsessed with the little house books, so I tried to make it for my dad one year. I just didn't know that apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar were different, or what ginger was, or how to measure anything. As I recall, he took a sniff, thanked me, and said he'd drink it later.
My wife found the recipe for ginger water in the little house cookbook...it was actually rather good
Yes! That's exactly what I thought of, Laura bringing the ginger-water out to the fields!
There was a second reference in the Little House books too; I think it's at the beginning of The Long Winter when Laura helps Pa with the haying. Carrie brings the water jug out to them and Ma had made some ginger water as a surprise for them.
I always wondered what ginger water actually was!! I tried making it as an 9-year-old, mixing ground ginger into water. Did not go down well!! 😂
Hi, Vermonter here. In order to make birch syrup you need to boil down 100 galleons to make 1 galleon of good syrup because the sugar content is so low. Maple syrup has a higher sugar content so it has a ratio of 20:1, while maple sap is slightly sweet on its own, you probably would have had a similar reaction to the one you had for Birch Sap. Anyway, if you have a P.O box we could send you some actual birch syrup.
I made this! It's pretty good. Very acidic, reminiscent of lemonade but not nearly as sweet and a little apple-spice-y instead of lemon-y. If you like lemonade, you'll probably like this. I'm making a full batch for my guests this weekend, it's tasty and it'll be a fun talking point!
Growing up, we were a dairy farming family. My paternal grandmother made switchel for the men bailing hay right up to the 1960's. The older generations of the family were tea-totalers, so no rum. I've always preferred honey as the sweetener, myself. I'm not surprised by your assessment of the flavor, as I've always enjoyed it immensely. As I did this video. Thank you!
I just mixed up a half ration myself. I used mostly honey, with some brown sugar and a splash of Maple Syrup for color. It's fantastic stuff.😊
I think the 'cramps' being avoided by switchel was water cramps caused by drinking too much cold plain water too quickly, especially after heavy labour. You couldn't guzzle switchel down as quick as water, I imagine with the vinegar and ginger in it. I've had water cramps once. It's ungodly painful, I thought I was having a heart attack at age 22.
you are correct.
Vinegar has a lot of electrolyte precursor nutrients (magnesium, phosphorous, etc) and one cause of muscle cramps is lack of electrolytes.
From the description in the video, I didn't get the impression people moderated their intake. Everyone seemed to gobble it down in copious amounts. I have to wonder if some made theirs stronger for their farmhands for exactly for the reason you described because they'd go too hard and get cramps.
@@Kowzorzvinegar does not have electrolytes in it. Vinegar triggers a spot in the back of the throat which decreases activity in the alpha motor neurons in your brain. As these neurons stop firing as frequently, the contractions in your muscles relax, and the cramps will stop.
Edit: for citation.
Miller, K.C., Mack, G.W., Knight, K.L., Hopkins, J.T., Draper, D.O., Fields, P.J., & Hunter, I. (2010b). Reflex inhibition of electrically induced muscle cramps in hypohydrated humans. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 42(5). doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181c0647e
@@sevenandthelittlestmewThis is a good comment. But also ginger is well known for relieving cramps. I take it plain for stomach aches and nausea and its pretty effective. I always have ginger at home. Im kind of surprised that not everyone is acquainted with it as a home remedy. Its pretty good.
Studies on it have related to treating the nausea in chemotherapy(with pretty good results). One of the reasons it lowers inflammation is that it suppresses the production of Prostaglandins. Which stimulates inflammation. Prostaglandins has a purpose but its one of those functions the body has that has unnecessary drawbacks. Kind of like a design error. So inhibiting them is good in most cases.
@@sevenandthelittlestmew Pure vinegar is an electrolyte, electrically -- It will conduct electricity. However, no one historically is drinking pure vinegar -- that is a modern invention. Vinegar, including apple cider vinegar like used in the video, has lots of nutrients in it, including the nutrients your body needs for creating the electrolytic compounds it needs for all its various uses.
I don't have to be wrong for you to be right. Both things can be true, yet you open with a patently false claim "vinegar does not have electrolytes". What is your goal here?
There is a similar recipe in the Little House On Thé Prairie cookbook that talks about Switchel but they call it ginger water. It uses brown sugar instead of molasses though.
Definitely going to try it!
It's very refreshing- I've made it before from The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M Walker.
I mix the molasses, cider vinegar, and ground ginger in a separate bowl because then the ginger will blend in without clumping, and then add it to my jug of cold water. Some ginger will always settle, so always shake your jug well before serving.
I love not only the recipes but the history and your sense of humor.
Thank you 😊
I like the posh accents
Agreed!
I remember reading 'The Long Winter' by Laura Ingalls Wilder and she mentioned that her sister Carrie briught out switchel for her and her dad when they were haying.
Great episode! Max, I believe you got mixed up about birch water vs. birch syrup. Birch water is a beverage made with a tiny bit of the syrup. Supposed to be invigorating, much like switchel. The actual birch syrup straight from the tree that it is made from is harder to acquire, but you can still get it online. It would be much sweeter than what you have here, although I believe it is still not quite as sweet as maple syrup. It is also made into soda: "birch beer" is an analog to "ginger ale." I used to work in a store that carried birch water and birch beer. The soda is pretty good!
Which birch beer? Clear or caramel?
As a native New Englander, and an avid switchel enthusiast i heartily approve of this video!
I was already drinking a big cup r of switchel when i found this video.
i make it by the pitcherful every summer, or whenever i want something sweet and want it to be better for me than soda etc
Other than water and coffee, it is the beverage i drink the most of
You can make syrup from birch just like making maple syrup it's exactly the same process. I used to make my own maple syrup and the ratio is something like 30 gallons of maple sap for one gallon of maple syrup, but for birch trees it's something like 40-50 gallons of birch sap for one gallon of syrup, so not many people do it. Hope this was helpful Max! -Another Miller
For birch it's 100 gallon of sap to 1 gallon of syrup. And it's far, far more expensive. In Europe it's € 300,00 to € 390,00 per liter (sorry don't know it in gallons), which basically turns it into pure gold.
The water from pretty much any hardwood tree can be used to make syrup, I believe, as long as it's collected at the right time. Maple became the most common for a few reasons: sugar maple trees produce a huge amount of "water" at the end of winter / beginning of spring, allowing for more syrup to be produced from the sugar maple trees, the water has a higher concentration of sugar making it possible to get more syrup out of a gallon of sugar maple water than other trees, and the flavor is generally considered the best.
That's really interesting! I didn't realize it took so much sap to make syrups!
That's why they use ''sugar maple'' sap ( Acer saccharum )= higher sugar level.
And don't boil it down (either birch or maple sap) in your kitchen, or your entire kitchen will end up with stuff deposited onto every surface. Boil it down outdoors. (If my childhood experience is any indication, be sure the jars you put it into are very clean, or you'll end up with it flavored like peanut butter.)
Someone else has probably already mentioned this, but the birch sap in your recipe is probably just like maple syrup, but from a birch tree. Maples produce a sap water just like your birch water, and then it is boiled down to a small, small portion of its original volume. If you were to boil all that, you'd get like a tablespoon of birch syrup. :)
Exactly!!! Boiling the maple sap down into maple syrup takes much time and removes quite a bit of water. It looks and sounds like you are making moonshine whiskey!
80 gallons of sap boiled down to 1 gallon. I make it. It takes about 10 large birch trees, over 3 weeks to get 80 gallons.
@@artsymamanana waaaay more of a pain in the ass than maple - which should be like 40-1 reduction, birch is literally double
@@libertymacmillan5051 Yes, I have done both maple and birch.
Although the video says the birch sap is boiled down to "about one half the natural quantity."
As a diabetic, I didn't want to use maple syrup, molasses, or honey, so I substituted Lakanto erythritol and it tasted good. I have been making a quart a day, because I figured out that is helping reduce my blood sugars (as acv will do) double bonus🎉😊 Thanks Max!
(personal anecdote only, do not try this without your doctor's approval)
What does it taste like?
Does it taste extra chilled? Every time I've used erythritol it has left my mouth almost uncomfortably cold, but I bet that with the ginger it is quite tasty
I drink it made with stevia... (the pure thm brand is the best tasting) it's called "good girl moon shine" or ggms. You can find different variations online and on you tube. It's helped lots of people quit the soda pop habit.
You might also try something called sekanjabin. It is another vinegar drink but concentrated as a shelf stable syrup that can be diluted later over ice. Several flavor variations available for this drink including mint and nice to keep around for a quick refreshment in the summer.
birch sap - in Polish called "oskoła" (~ osc-owa) is a traditional drink that used to be popular in central and eastern europe. it makes you pee more and the sugars in it do not cause the insulin spike so if you are diabetic and suddenly run out of pretty much anything else to drink but you found yourself in a birch wood you can suck on one of the branches, LOL
i'm not a patron, but maybe you could do a drink called KVASS (kwas chlebowy, lit. bread acid, in Polish) - a traditional drink mostly drank in the eastern europe? it's easy to make and it wont cost you that much. also, if you ever visit baltic states make sure you get some of that in the pub.
Kvass episode when?!
Life Of Boris got me interested in Kvass.. i am now addicted!
yes, kvass is a delicacy from my childhood! cold kvass on summer day, delicious. sometimes I still buy it, but my husband hates the smell of it 😂
He actually did make a type of Kvass from beets for his episode on Ukrainian borshch. czcams.com/video/4DPu-Ve_luU/video.html
He did mention the drink Kvass made from fermented bread when talking about the ingredients for the borshch.
@@varedna I know but the one he did had little to do with the one I'm talking about
This guy is living the life. He had an interest, he started sharing his love for it, and now he can earn a living from it. I'm both happy for him, and envious XD
I think part of it was getting laid off from work because of the virus, so there was some stress involved.
He totally earned his success. I always look forward to his videos 💕
Ahh... don't compare you can do it too if you find out how and the right way for you, whatever that may be, i haven't found that for myself either but maybe you can🙂
this guy has every history nerds dream job
@@erad67 - As I understand it from earlier episodes, Mr Miller was a Disney performer - played a Prince at some point - and with the pandemic, Disney went into a hiatus. Nobody was laid off. When the hiatus was over and they were called back, "Tasting History" had already taken off, so he stuck with it. I am not sure if the performers were kept on the payroll or not. Ask him!
I love my switchel! I started drinking it during workouts instead of Gatorade because I can control the amount of sugar. You can cold steep all sorts of herbal teas in it as well to switch up the flavour.
If you do the math and follow the ratios used in the recipe you can make it on a smaller scale. The recipe is as follows -
2 cups water
2 ounces of molasses
1 ounce of apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger
I've been drinking apple cider vinegar in water for years for health reasons. If you add sweetener it will taste like sour apple candy. Adding the ginger sounds like it would make the beverage even spicier but oddly it seems to mask the harshness of the vinegar. I use a liquid stevia instead of some form of sugar as I don't need the extra calories.
My dad and grandfather, being of Mid-Hudson Valley Dutch background, were still making switchel in the summertime, along with homemade root beer (which you should definitely do an episode on).
Homemade root beer? YES, PLEASE!
Birch beer! Quite popular in the Amish areas of Ohio. Similar to root beer, just made with birch syrup.
Homemade rootbeer, is just delicious.
Definitely interested since my Dad's a fan of rootbeer.
This needs more replies to get Max's attention. I'd love to see a real root beer.
This actually works on a nutritional and structural level. Ginger is high in potassium and molasses is high in calcium, both of which are really important electrolytes when you've been working and sweating. The sugar elements make it more of an energy drink. And the vinegar makes it sour, which makes things feel more refreshing by promoting salivation. Basically, if they had added some ordinary salt, too, they'd have made a balanced electrolyte drink!
Ginger is also well known to treat nausea. Its even used to treat chemotherapy patients.
Electrolytes...
In the future, this will be sold as Brawndo 😉
They could also cool their drink, by having a cloth cover and wetting it to let it "sweat" or evaporate in the wind. Not cold mind you, but cooler than otherwise.
In a survival situation, if you are in a forest, it is possible to get birch-water, when there no other water source available or if the water source is questionable. The birch tree acts as filter. Just make thin wooden peg (about the diameter of a pencil). Carve a single groove down the length of the peg, sharpen one ends. Hammer the peg into the trunk of the birch tree, hang a collection vessel on the peg. Done right, several litres per hour of drinkable water could be had.
Birch sap water is actually a pretty popular drink in Belarus, and I imagine most of Eastern Europe for that matter. You can drink it as is right after collecting it and passing it through a cheese cloth or a coffee filter, or you can sweeten it with sugar. It's also good fermented into birch kvas. It used to be a seasonal drink because you could only really get it by tapping birch trees in (I think) spring, but nowadays you can buy it in most stores year round. Fresh is supposed to be good for your health since it has a lot of minerals and vitamins and stuff, but the store bought is pasteurized so it's just a tasty drink.
i was looking for this comment! Дзякуй!
Do they do something else as pasteurization over there. Am biotechnologist and boiling shouldn't destroy any minerals and only really mess with a few of the many vitamins
@@Aztesticals Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is one of the more note worthy things that would be destroyed (assuming there is any). What else would be subject to getting destroyed in pasteurization vitamin wise?
(not a chemist or anything, just curious)
@@tudeslildude mostly the b vitamins. And a small amount of vit a but vitamin a really needs more of a roasting at 550 and not boiling at 211.99 to do it
Ukraine also. Btw in regards to the birch sap not being so sweet, it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple syrup
What's weird about this channel is the videos were ALWAYS this high quality. I remember when this channel had like 3000 subs, and it was already polished and well made and researched. Most channels ramp up the quality as people gain interest. Max and them just made it 2M good, then it just filled in. I can't think of another channel that's like that.
IF, you're a Car Guy at all, theres a (huge channel) small shop of friends in Idaho called Grind Hard Plumbing Co....same thing, a small group of friends with a penchant for amazing videography, intense Car Guy attitude, and amazing content.
There’s another food history channel or just history channel called “Townsends” or what used to be, I think is “Jas(James) Townsend and sons.” They used to focus more on 18th century cooking but have since branched out into 18th century culture altogether. A little more narrow in subject as it’s only 18th century but the research is good.
And they reaally live 18th century, I describe them as “larping but 18th century” the sets, the dress, the tools, everything is 18th century lol. I’m assuming that you don’t know the channel ofc
@@karu6111 yeah that guy has been a meme for a while lol. His orange fool video was talked about a lot because everyone thought it was alluding to Trump, and there were a couple other very popular uploads like the fried chicken recipe. A+ channel.
He worked at disney before the "pandemic" came along so he knows exactly what he's doing😋he learned story telling well and knows how we like running jokes.
@@frydemwingz what video? I haven’t watched them in a while lol
Fascinating video! Definitely going to make this. The thirst quencher my mother used to make in the 60’s and 70’s was equal parts apple cider vinegar and honey into a contrite stored in the fridge. When a new jug of beverage was needed, a half inch was poured into a pitcher and water added to the top. So delicious! Absolutely the best thirst quencher. We had it at every meal as well to “aid digestion.”
When I was younger, my parents started getting into Civil War re-enacting. My mom was quite interested in the civilian side, and some of her research included food of the time, which included Switchel.
When I went to work at a summer camp for one summer, I took with me a jar of concentrated Switchel (the mix of honey and vinegar), and a jar to dilute the concentrate in.
I had already acquired a taste for it, so I had no problem drinking it. My fellow staff members were not nearly as enthused about it as I was.
You should try making birch beer! It's a New England specialty. It's very similar to root beer.
Or birch tea!
If you use Barbados style baking molasses, you will get sweetness without the bitter. I experimented with the Townsends recipe and eventually came across that molasses. That works really well with it
You are right, in the 18th and 19th century all molasses was sweet or Barbados molasses. There was no Blackstrap molasses.
Today you can find Fancy molasses (sweet) or Cooking molasses (less sweet) at the supermarket in the baking section.
Switchel is still a farmers/loggers drink if your parents are multigenerational Vermonters. Maple syrup is often used along with the molasses
You have to boil sap water down not just to concentrate, but to caramelize as well - maple sap tastes basically like water as well.
The James Townsend with nutmeg🤣🤣
I don't drink, so I love to see it when you do non-alcoholic beverages. Let's get some more non-alcoholic history drinks.
Love this! In Japan, we have some bath houses that have chilled vinegar drink dispensers, it's so refreshing after a hot bath! My favorite flavors are black vinegar, apple vinegar, and blueberry vinegar, and you can also buy juice boxes of them in the supermarket and the pre-mixed vinegar concentrate to dilute at home.
Have made switchel twice now. Originally inspired by the Townsends video. Can confirm it is thoroughly enjoyable.
A teaspoon of cayenne pepper as well as the ginger doesn't go astray either.👌
Lost my job and got set back to the 19th century living rough.
Living on my 76 sailboat i found a 20 year old bottle of red vinegar and some mollasas.
Thanks for the recipe! Got me through a rough period.
Max, never underestimate the power (or flavor) of apple cider vinegar. If you doubt, you should check out Laura Ingalls Wilder's Green Pumpkin Pie, which her mother made - see her book The Long Winter. An early freeze had killed their pumpkin vines before the pumpkins could ripen, so her frugal mother made tastiness of necessity.
A recipe for it is included in The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M Walker. I've made it myself, and when done well it's a delicious "apple" pie - with the apple flavor coming from the vinegar. The first hurdle to making it is getting a green pumpkin, that is, an unripe one. I had to grow my own , and in making mine I found it works best to slice it very thin and parboil it before putting it in the pie.
Another great video!
I remember this so well in the book! In the same book, Ma makes a jug of ginger water for Pa and Laura to drink while they are making hay. She lists water, sugar, ginger, and vinegar as the ingredients.
Yep.@@VaveeDances
I remember reading that. Pa was so surprised when he tasted the pie, and wondered where she'd been able to get apples in the middle of winter!
@@VaveeDances OMG I just wrote the same comment about the ginger water, but I don't remember the exact description (its been quite a while). Glad to read confirmation about the recipe.
Flavor, sure, but the purported medicinal qualities are based more in marketing than in reality.
I remember Laura Ingalls Wilder describing a beverage similar to switchel in one of the Little House books. She said that you could drink it on a hot day, and it wouldn't give you cramps the way plain water would. (Probably the vinegar killed a lot of the germs in creek or well water.)
I think there was also the belief that cold water in general could give you an upset stomach.
There was a general belief that very cold water was bad if you were too hot. This is why Pa told Laura to not drink too much. According to the text, the ginger would warm the stomach so it wouldn't be shocked. But it's clearly a version of switchel, using sugar, not molasses. And it does sound yummy.
@@mamadeb1963 I remember reading that molasses was cheaper for the Ingalls family to buy than sugar (and brown sugar cheaper than white sugar), so it was a huge treat when Laura and her sisters would be given something like a cookie dusted with white sugar. I'll admit that it has been a LONG time since I last read the Little House books, though, so I'm a bit fuzzy on the exact ingredients Laura mentioned as being in the switchel-like drink they consumed.
@@DOSBoxMom White sugar was a huge treat - even more so since they didn't have access to maple sugar anymore. The ginger water was meant as a special treat for her first day.
vingegar does not kill germs in river water, no
I have been watching your shows for a while now and I have to say I admire your diligence not only are you educational but you’re very entertaining. I’ve learned a lot thank you for that.
Great Recipe Max,
Here's what I used for mine: Apple Cider Vinegar, Golden Syrup (as I'm in the UK), Nutmeg & Cinnamon and Spiced Rum.
I've got a cold stream on my dad's farm that will be used when it's time for hay baling!
This is it! When i was little, i had the Little House on the Prairie cookbook and my bro (bless him) helped me make a batch of "molasses water" from it. It was served warm or cold. Bro about died gagging, but i loved it. Thank you for your hard work, Max, you really are incredible with your research! 💖🙏🕊
Yeah I was thinking of the part in one of the books where Ma makes ginger water for Pa and Laura working in the field. Must've been similar. Sounds like fun!
Yes! I knew I wouldn't be the only one that remembered Ma sending Carrie out to Pa & Laura with a jug while the were making hay. I believe it's in The Long Winter opening chapter "Make Hay While the Sun Shines," but I don't have my books handy to look. I remember the mention in the book that Ma had "added plenty of ginger to warm their stomachs," so they could chug without getting sick. I always wondered if it tasted similar to ginger ale?
Oh, geez, it's been forever since I read the "Little House" books, but now that you bring it up, the drink sounds familiar. I'm 45, but may have to wander into the kids' section of the local library to see if they have them. 😅
There have been some analysis on "haymaker's switchel" which btw is similar to Roman Posca, and the addition of molasses as the sweetener adds electrolytes, and couple that with it being chilled in a spring or stream to lower one's core temperature, and you have a very effective "sports drink" during or after a long hot day's work. Great Video!
When i make switchel i always add some form of fruit juice to it. A hint of lemon or even better the leftover apple juice/syrup from applesauce making, makes it amazing. Served iced on a hot day is by far the most refreshing drink out there. I would like to note that you should remember to drink plenty of water (or just lots of switchel) as well because switchel can trick your body into feeling more hydrated than it is. It's why i often make a glass or two in the mornings, the hot days don't bother me nearly as much as they should.
I remember reading about this in the Little House on the Prairie series! Laura and Pa are harvesting hay and Ma sends Carrie out with a jug of ginger water with vinegar. They said that Ma would add ginger so it wouldn’t turn their stomachs if they drank a lot after working hard in the heat.
That sounds kind of like what my grandparents said. They claimed that the vinegar would prevent you from throwing up due to drinking something cold when you're real hot.
I remember that too! And wondered what it was exactly.
😂 i just commented about that too I read the books also
I was thinking the same thing, I just loved those books.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! I have no idea why but for whatever reason, that passage from the Little House books is the first thing I thought about when I was listening to this. I read those books *decades* ago and I remember that bit like it was yesterday, lol
Just tried this. Used cinnamon instead of ginger, and I only had blackstrap molasses so I used a little bit of it, a lot of honey, and some maple syrup. It was delicious and very refreshing. Thank you for sharing this with everyone!
You tried that,not THIS!
What’s your recipe???
@@drachenfeuer5042 I just shortened what he did here down a bit. I had some quart jars laying around, so I used that.
Blackstrap sucks, so I retried the recipe without it and its much better:
1 quart of water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
about half a tablespoon of ground cinnamon
and then I added some redmond salt just for a bit of flavor, but that's optional
I did one with and one without rum. The one with rum was just a shot of bacardi white rum, since that's what I had on hand. When you have everything in the jar, just shake it really good until the honey mixes in and then it's ready to drink.
Highly recommend it, kept me hydrated working outside today. Definitely going to be a staple in this household from now on.
Both sound tasty. Thanks for sharing your recipe too. 😊
Ginger is the main energizing ingredient in this farmer's Gatorade but cinnamon may also work somewhat. Molasses and honey are both sweeteners but they also enhance the absorption of the ginger. I know much less about the nutritional properties of acv because I puke every time I drink it. I can't handle it no matter how much I dilute it in water. The syrup adds more body to the beverage and the ginger also helps alleviate nausea, but I'm still afraid to drink this.
There's birch water, then there is birch syrup. Takes around 100 gallons of birch sap to make 1 gallon of birch syrup. I talked to some people that make it in talkeetna Alaska.
Haymaker Punch was available in our local Amish general store as recently as five or six years ago in central PA from bottled drink brand Turkey Hill. Been desperately searching for a recipe for it since they stopped making it. So THANK YOU SO MUCH.
It hits perfect in the humid summers here.
As a former professional mixologist and current sober housedad, I love learning about these eclectic beverages both alcoholic and otherwise! I will try this intriguing mixture for sure
Im a mixologist looking to get into a more sober lifestyle. It's fun, but its time to move on
@@yseson_ Yeah, I lived the restaurant/bar night life for 16 years and was very good at my craft but it was killing me, literally and figuratively. Nowadays I just prepare balanced meals for my family and enjoy nature, video games and mock tails! My current favorite is peach flavored soda water, OJ and a splash of grapefruit juice
@@roberthiltz2741 sounds desirable
While watching this video, I realized I had the ingredients to make this switchel. A pleasant beverage that is a nice alternative for drinking apple cider vinegar. The ginger powder resulted in a beverage that seems to have a warming effect in my body. This might be a nice warm drink to have in the winter. I grew up enjoying molasses Joe Frogger cookies that were popular in the 19th century. So this beverage has a nostalgic taste to me.
Switchel may make a comeback as a summer drink. I will make some myself this summer according to this recipe.
talabogus" ("A drink made by mixing spruce beer, rum or other liquor and molasses"), "clear sheer" (no idea!), "gum ticklers" (a "gill of spirits, generally rum, taken fasting"), "phlegm-cutters" ("double dose just before breakfast"), "Sangarees" (highball-like cobblers with spices like nutmeg or cinnamon in place of the fruit), and "Timber Doodles" (lost to time).
My wife taught me about switchel and it’s a great drink after yard work. I’ve added salt for more electrolytes and cinnamon because it tastes good. I may need to make some with the mountain of mint I have growing. Thanks for spreading the gospel of switchel.
We would always chuck a few stalks of mint into lemonade in peak summer heat for a refreshing beverage as well. Either muddle leaves or just add a few whole stalks to a pitcher of lemonade for an easy twist in summer. Also works very well with a spicy/sweet basil in conjunction with minty or regular lemonade.
I’ve made essentially a virgin mojito with the same idea. Lime juice instead of vinegar.
You can harvest your own birch sap (we call it something like "birch juice" in Scandinavia) directly from birch trees, similar to how you would harvest the base liquid for making maple syrup. It is indeed pretty thin and watery, but it's supposed to contain a lot of vitamin C and other good stuff.
We have loads and loads of birch trees here in Scandinavia, but birch syrup is not particularly common.
As it takes a lot more reducing to make a syrup compared to Canadians have with their mapels and maple syrup.
I believe the ratios is like a hundred to one or something. 100 liters of sap to make a liter of syrup. I don’t remember the number but being suprised by how big it was, and that it was a much larger then for maple syrup.
Like I’ve heard of people collecting birch sap, and I’ve tasted it. But it’s not commonly used in most regions. Maybe it’s specialty in some county or region in some Scandinavian country that have made it their thing. Entirely possible. But I’m not aware of it.
@@IQzminus2 That's because it's incredibly expemsive. Between € 300,00 to € 390,00 per liter depending on quality. It completely dwarfs maple syrup!
I remember my Grandpa talking about Haymaker's Punch. Excellent video - you obviously put a lot of work and research into these and your personality is a kick. Thanks!
We used to drink Birch Beer. It's like root beer made with birch.
My grandmother served us switchel, not by that name, sans ginger. PA area.
The fact that you upload such interesting and well-researched content so often truly blows my mind. Thanks Max ❤❤❤
Me* too*!*!*!* 🥳🎇🎆✨🍾🥂🪄😇💝🌠🍿So fun* to watch*!*
I went ahead and made some switches this morning as I watched Max’s wonderful video. Reminds me of vinegar/honey water that my dad drank every morning. The satchel is sooo sweet that I diluted it about 1:3 with water. (No rum.) it is very good. I used golden syrup for sweetener.
@@americaneclecticI wonder if treacle would work too
Amazing video as always! Here's another fun drinking history idea: The King's Ginger, the drink specifically formulated for King Edward VII for when he was driving his automobile. Yes, you heard me right, an alcoholic drink made specifically for when King Edward VII wanted to drive.
I had to go look that up right away, and and can only think it's really good that so few people were driving back then. You don't want to share a road with a king who's like "Hand me my driving liquor"
Damn. Thatd be a trip lmao
Hmm, I think it’s possible the late Duke of Edinburgh was still upholding this tradition.
@@skyllalafeyDriving is terrifying! How could you expect anyone to get their nerve up to do it without a stiff one? ;)
I grew up on a farm in western Massachusetts in the '70s, and during haying season--late June to July, Grandma and Grandpa made it for us. I don't know how it was spelled, but I heard it as "switzel". The recipe @01:22 looks about right, but since we made our own maple syrup, they used that instead of molasses.
This video caught my eye because in the late 70’s we drank switchel made by one of my good friends grandmother while we were haying in NY state. Way over in the SW corner of the state. So quite a ways from New England. She was native Indian and her husband was of European decent I suppose.
Anyhow, it really did quench your thirst and I remember honey and ginger in it. No Rum unfortunately but we were like 10. Of course she is long gone, but I’ll try to remember to ask him the next time I speak with him if he has the recipe she used. I have described this drink to my kids in the past years. They have no clue how good it was when you were about ready to pass out from heat exhaustion and hard work!
Great video btw.
I actually make this all the time! Especially if I’m going to be drinking or be outside for a while. It’s revived many friends. And it helps with a hangover
Holy cow! I grew up in Northern Illinois, the product of a pure German mother (and maternal family of course) and she made this when I was a kid working in the garden (I did have cousins that lived on a farm, but I was basically a suburbanite). We did indeed call it "harvest drink". I asked her for the recipe years ago and then lost it, and she's since passed. Thank you for this!
Hello from Northern Illinois and descendants of German farmers from Iowa. 🙋🏻♀️
@@joyful_tanya Howdy from Central Texas. I've lived in Texas now for 37 years, and plenty of Germans and Czechs here too, thanks to the Mexican government that invited them to settle in the early 1800's. It's almost like home, except HOTTER, lol... more harvest drink please.
@@keithbrown9198 lol! Yes I have heard it's HOT! Definitely drink more switzle. ❤️🙋🏻♀️ Have a safe harvest. I have heard some parts need rain badly.
@@joyful_tanya Indeed. No rain here for at least 3 months so far... possibly some change coming the end of next week. Y'all take care up there, ya hear? 🤠
@@keithbrown9198 you do the same sir.
Renaissance faire people know too- I was introduced to this as “Haystack Switchel.” It was NON-alcoholic.
You gotta boil that birch sap down to get a syrup. In fact, you gotta boil it down even more than maple sap.
This mans comedic timing is unmatched. Him trying the birchwater was hilarious
Iceland's national tree is the birch. They don't grow very tall because of thin soil and persistent winds (so if you ever get lost in an Icelandic forest, , just stand up!). They make a nice Liqueur called 'Bjork' from beech bark. Pretty tasty. Not as cloying as the Continental yellowy digestifs like Elixir d"Anvers, Chartreuse, Gammel Danske, or Benedictine.
Some years back I bought a bottle of "birch beer" soda marketed by an obscure regional soft drink company whose name I've forgotten. Biggest fizzy nothing I've ever drunk.
Tastes like... 'Regret.'
fr. the snapshot of Townsend and Sons when he smentioned nutmeg had me cackling
I get the feeling his "Birch Sap Water" is just water with just enough sap to flavor it. Not at all the concentrated Birch Sap called for in the recipes.
Interesting as always. When I was a young boy (at the moment I’m 72) I somehow came across a recipe for something called “Fake Apple Cider” which was basically vinegar and sugar with possibly some cinnamon) - a curious child. I decided to make some. It really did taste like apple cider. The recipe was presented as a sort of magic trick rather than a serious potable, so it appears to have been a tail end artifact of switchel.
I was recently combing through a copy of the 1886 White House Cook Book, and I've been making Switchel for weeks now (it's super refreshing!) and I noticed in the beverages section, this exact recipe is simply called 'INEXPENSIVE DRINK'. I can't remember if you mentioned it in this video, but I thought it was amusing. They mention it as a "cheap alternative to lemonade on a hot summer's day" (paraphrased)
I'm from Ukraine, my grandpa used to harvest birch sap water (we call it birch juice. It's really almost tasteless with slightest sweet aftertaste. But, my grandpa used to ferment it with raisins. It made a really tasty sparkling drink
My dad grew up on the Canadian east coast during the '40s. They drank a version of this made with maple syrup instead of molasses and cinnamon instead of ginger. He loved it and bemoaned the fact that my mom didn't and so never made it for him.
I remember having it once when visiting my grandparents but my grandma was on a health kick at the time and didn't put any sweetener in it... None at all! 6 year old me thought it was disgusting! And judging from my dad's expression he agreed! 😂
I'll definitely try it again now, with maple syrup,
I've been waiting for Max to do swichel since he started up drinking history. You can actually take out about half the water a little bit of a sweetener and replace that with juice to give it a fruit flavor. I recommend cherry
Love this idea
Use pin cherry juice if you can find them! It's like sour cherry then!
I wanted to try switchel as it was, but this just sounds amazing.
Stop ruining things with sweeteners. This is a healthy tonic it’s supposed to be a sports drink, not a chemical drink
@handsoffmycactus2958 sugar, honey, and molasses are sweeteners. Gatorade was based on switchel, it needs a real source of sweetness and calories.
I think if you go even further back in time you'll find that this was a fermented drink, and later vinegar was added to make up for the taste that fermentation imparts. Of course vinegar is fermented too. I actually drink ACV water everyday instead of plain water. I think we crave soda and Gatorades because we are craving a fermented drink that's actually revitalizing and healthful.
My great grandmother still made it when i was kid, and we still do on occasion. We are a small town in upstate NY, we all know switchel.... didnt realize it fell out of favor. Burch sap, is a staple in bushcraft and the base for birtch beer..
Imagine writing down that recipe in 1856. You'd have *no* idea that in 160 years, someone would make it on a "video" and beam it across the world for millions to see and enjoy.
In 1856, a lot of people were still having trouble wrapping their heads around the concept of the telegraph.
Apple cider vinegar works well as a sweetener. The first time i heard someone put it in their hot tea, i thought they were crazy. It was surprisingly good and helps with soar throats. Imagine if we had stuck to healthy"ish" drinks instead of corn syrup and citric acid.
I add a little acv to my water oftentimes, and I haven’t had indigestion in probably 15 years now.
You are so very correct. I was never much of a soda pop drinker, and fruit juices on the market shelves is so terribly sweet.
@@bluegrassman3040How are your teeth?
@@phantomkate6 just fine.
@@phantomkate6diluted vinegar in water is way less acidic than soda and most fruit juices. You need less than a tablespoon per glass of water to make it (too much and it tastes like vinegar, you know you have it "just right" when it tastes refreshing and not vinegary)
There are two schools on the history of the Hail-storm and my suspicion is that they have both been true and different points in history. One is that “Hail-storm” is just another term for a Mint Julep, and the other is that the drink was sweetened brandy served over ice.
Gin sling, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in an old-fashioned glass with 1/2 ounce water. Add 2 ounces gin and a few ice cubes. Stir well and finish with freshly grated nutmeg.
"purl talabogus" (A drink made by mixing spruce beer, rum or other liquor and molasses)
Birch Sap is just water tapped from a Birch tree. It is slightly sweet...especially when boiled down to syrup.
I'm from Germany, a few years back I found a recope for Switchel in a magazine (which made it sound as if Switchel was super popular in rhe southern states of USA) it used fresh gingerbwhich zou cooked in tthe water (and I used maple and honez to sweeten).
I loved it. Thanks for reminding me. Will make some ASAP 😊
I grew up in Massachusetts and my Grandma would make it in the dog days of August. We called it ginger water. She swore that you could chug it down when you were really thirsty and the ginger would keep you from feeling nauseous from drinking too quickly ❤
My grandfather called birch, ironwood, walnut, sycamore or maple sap eau des arbres (tree water) and he said you always had to boil it down to get the sweet. We would tap trees when I was a child. To make the syrup sweeter you used the sycamore or ironwood saps combined with your other sapss.
Yes Yes, was raised on a farm in Wisconsin. We had ginger water all summer long. We would drink it when bailing hay or straw, you would not get muscle cramps from sweating so much. When combining oats for feed it was dusty once again ginger water was the drink of choice. My mom would make it with cold water, sugar, ginger, white vinegar, an ice in a gallon cooler. Good ol days.