Fire cider
Fire cider is based on cider vinegar and sweetened with honey to give sweet and sour, hot and spicy flavour. Not a cider as such, but a blend based on cider vinegar and honey with added ingredients of onion and garlic, ginger, horseradish and chillies.
We have added parsley and citrus for extra vitamin C, with rosemary, thyme and cloves for their antibacterial properties and of course their great taste.
The resultant brew is great to have during the winter months – and it has a huge variety of uses:
- 3 tsp mixed with orange juice can be taken every 3 hours to ward off a cold, or you can take a dose every day as a preventative.
- Alternatively dilute with hot water and extra honey as a tea
- Use a little in place of vinegar in salad dressings or drizzle over vegetable side dishes
- Add a splash to soups, stews and marinades
- Be daring and add a dash to strong flavoured cocktails!
This makes 350 – 400ml:
- 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
- 5 large garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh horseradish
- 2 hot chillies – cut in half lengthways
- 100ml orange juice
- ½ lemon thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
- 5 cloves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
- 300 ml cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey or more to taste
- Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and warm gently until just hand hot.
- Then cover and leave to infuse in a cool place for 24 – 48 hours depending how strong you would like the flavour and heat to be.
- Strain it through a sieve lined with a double layer of kitchen paper.
- Bottle the fire cider and keep in a cool dark place.
Enjoy experimenting!