Test Kitchen's Favorite Fire-Cider Tonic

Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
21 days
Yield:
2 cups

Fire cider is a tangy, sweet vinegar infused with vegetables, herbs, spices, and honey. A popular herbal folk remedy, it is used as an anti-inflammatory and digestion-stimulating tonic, and to boost natural health processes.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup thinly sliced fresh ginger (from two 4-inch pieces)

  • ½ cup peeled, diced fresh horseradish (from a 5-inch piece)

  • 1 head garlic, cloves smashed and peeled

  • 3 sprigs rosemary

  • 2 jalapeno or serrano chiles, halved lengthwise

  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

  • ½ small onion, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces (⅓ cup)

  • 1 lemon, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces

  • ½ orange, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces

  • 2 cups raw, unfiltered apple-cider vinegar, such as Bragg, plus more as needed

  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup honey, preferably raw and unfiltered

Directions

  1. Place ginger and horseradish in the bottom of a 1-quart Ball jar or similar resealable glass container. Add garlic, rosemary, chiles, peppercorns, cinnamon, and onion; then add lemon and orange pieces, pressing down to firmly pack ingredients in. Add vinegar, adding more as necessary to fully submerge ingredients and fill jar. Seal jar (if using a metal lid, place a piece of parchment between jar and lid to prevent a corrosive reaction with vinegar). Store in a cool, dark place, shaking for a few seconds every day or two, at least 3 weeks and up to 6 weeks.

  2. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids. Stir in honey. Store in a sealed container in refrigerator up to 1 month.

    fire cider tonic
    Christina Holmes

Cook's Notes

A tablespoon of ground turmeric can be added with the honey for increased health benefits. Drink a one-to-two-ounce shot daily, dilute some in seltzer or still water, or use it in place of regular vinegar for salad dressings.

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