I first discovered a recipe for “fire cider™” a few years ago when I got a copy of Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs book that shares this recipe and many others.

It is a traditional recipe that contains garlic, onion, ginger, cayenne, vinegar and raw honey. The original recipe calls for horseradish, but I typically substitute echinacea root.

Fire Cider™?

I recently found out that a small company has trademarked the term fire cider™ and manufacture and sell it. This has a lot of small herbal remedies sites up in arms as this is a very old recipe that has been used for decades. From my understanding, this means that I could not sell this product pre-made, but it does not limit the ability to make it at home.

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll just call this recipe “Spicy Cider” from now on.

Spicy Cider harnesses the beneficial properties of onion, garlic, ginger, and herbs plus vinegar and raw honey for an immune boosting and nourishing drink with a little kick.

How Does Fire Cider Taste?

Judging by the ingredients in the recipe, you might not expect it to taste very good. I didn’t either and I was quite pleasantly surprised by the taste. I’ve even tried it on salads as a dressing and it has a mild peppery and sweet vinaigrette flavor.

In the winter months, I sometimes take a teaspoon or so of this a day or use it on salads. If illness hits, I’ll take that dose every few hours or add a tablespoon to hot water or herbal tea a few times a day until I feel better.

For the kids, I reduce the cayenne or leave it out and they don’t mind the taste too much since the honey helps balance out the vinegar taste.

Spicy Cider Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, peeled and rough chopped
• 1 head of garlic, peeled and rough chopped
• 3 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon dried echinacea root (optional)
• Apple cider vinegar (organic with “the mother”)
• Raw organic honey
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper powder

Spicy Cider Instructions

• Place onion, garlic, ginger and echinacea root in a quart size mason jar.
• Add apple cider vinegar to cover the herbs.
• Cap tightly and leave in the jar for 2-3 weeks, preferably in a sunny or slightly warm place.
• Strain and discard the herbs.
• Mix with equal parts raw honey and add cayenne powder.
• Store in the fridge and take 1 teaspoon as needed daily or when illness strikes. I’ve taken as much as 1 tsp an hour during illness until I felt better.

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