18th Century Energy Drink - Switchel 18th Century Cooking 

This man hosts the purest channel on all of RU-vid.

300 years from now, there are going to be historians re-creating purple drank and bath salts.

The roman drink mentioned is Posca, IT's made with red wine vinegar, honey, coriander, and water. It's very refreshing! In the bible a roman soldier offers Jesus "sour wine" which was long believed to be an insult but he was likely being offered Posca, which was extremely common for Legionaries to carry.

1776 colonists - "The British are taxing us too much" George Washington - " Hold my swizzel."

My grandmother would make switchel for the men baling hay in the summer. it really quenches the thirst and cuts through the "crud" in your throat you get from the hay dust. I still like it, and since we are starting to bale hay again after 30 years layoff, it will be in our fields again. Thanks for providing a tie to the 18th century-- now I can take it to events!

"Switch on with Switchel." - Imagining an energy drink advertisement in Colonial US 😄

Here at James Townsend and Son, we work hard, and we play hard! That's why we recommend Switchel! It's got what 18th century folks crave!

Please do more drinks and simple foods

I swear this guy is the best host on YT!

If you told me a week ago I'd be intrigued by 18th Century cooking I'd have laughed, but you've definitely sold me. Look foward to more videos

Me thinking the whole time: "Man, rum would mix great in this thing." Jon at 3:14 "You can add your daily rum ration."

I'd add a pinch of salt to it, just to balance the flavors and add some more electrolytes (especially if you're using honey). In Russia my grandma used to add extra apple cider vinegar to it, then cool it down to about 35F (at the bottom shelf of the fridge) then add some baking soda to make it carbonated. The exact proportions are somewhat a trial and error kind of thing, she would add some soda, taste it and add some more if needed, and so on. Grandpa added some vodka to it to help fight his hangovers :)

I went to college in Northern New York State, very near the Canadian border, and a friend of mine who lived locally made this for me one summer when I visited her house, which was a farm run by her father. She made it with maple syrup because her father tapped his own trees and made his own. She explained that after you'd been working hard in the hot summer sun, if you drank a lot of water it would "shock" your stomach and make you sick. Whereas Switchel could be drunk very cold in a larger quantity without making the person feel sick. So this drink is definitely still in use in some areas.

Switchel is alive and well in Vermont. I actually had my first switchel while helping to get in the hay before a threatening thunderstorm. That was many years ago, but until I saw this video I had forgotten how good it was, yes it cuts through the dust! Thanks again Jon.

The excitement in his face when he mentions the rum put a smile on my face

How do I make Skooma?

Russian sbiten: 100 gr honey 15gr clove,cinnamon,cardamon ,imbir( имбирь dont know like in English)laurel leaf + 1 litr water Boil 15 minits Drink hot Na zdorovie!

The vinegar isn't just there to be refreshing, but also because (even though they didn't know anything about microbes etc) because it would disinfect the drinking water. I did research of posca, the Roman soldier's drink (which is, in fact, very watered down soured wine/vinegar) and tried it out. Turns out that a teaspoon of vinegar disinfects a pint of water easily. This meant that the soldiers could drink a refreshing drink which was easy to carry (a small flask of vinegar could make a lot of posca when using a the local water), tasted vaguely of (sour) wine while not allowing the soldiers to get drunk on it (always an added bonus when dealing with large groups of heavily armed men) AND the men could now drink the local water without getting dysentry or what have you! Win - win.

I love this channel. I loved history in school, I wish they taught more like this. I think children would learn a lot better with food and drinks involved. It's a great way to keep them involved and teach them about history.

I tried this with honey instead and really liked it!! (No molasses on hand.) I was amazed at how refreshing it was

Here in Northern NY my Grandparents called it Switch. Some of their living friends still talk about it. Very cool to see a video about this!

Max Miller brought me here. His video said that some folks use nutmeg instead of ginger and that, of course, is a Townsend signature spice

I recently made this for my husband, and now he asks me to make it constantly, so he can take it to work. I make it with water, honey, lemon juice and powdered ginger. It's really good! Thanks for sharing this great recipe! :)

How did this man become so cool?! He's so peaceful and thoughtful. 🤘

Getting my Switchel on till the break of dawn. Sounds great. I'm going to make this. Thank you! Love and light my friend.

I had this on in the background while cleaning. I realized i had all of the ingredients and decided to make it. It is better than I expected. In fact it tastes amazing. Not big on the vinegar smell, but you don’t taste it. Only took a couple minutes to make and now i have a couple mason jars full in the fridge. Definitely bringing this with me to work to stay hydrated.

"And now add 17 crushed up caffeine pills"

I saw this for the first time today and made up half of a batch with molasses. On the first sip, I thought 'gee I should add more molasses'. Sip number 2 changed my mind. Very refreshing. Thanks!

Have been watching from Season 1 and have reached here in just a few days. I have shared your videos with my family and friends on Facebook as well. Very informative and well produced videos. You seem like a great guy, and I love the recipes and history that you show.

Holy donkey butter! I could not have enjoyed this video more! Old timey beverage that looks fantastic AND some of the history behind it! What's not to dig about that? Thumbed up!

Cooking for Historical performers I often made "Haymakers Switzle". The recipe was 1 gallon boiled water, cooled, 1 Cup honey, 1 Tablespoon of ginger (I preferred it fresh grated),and 1 Cup apple cider vinegar. It got overheated Civil War reinactors back on their feet in 15 minutes. The honey is easy to digest (single molecule sugar),provides energy and does not dehydrate the body. The vinegar is loaded with electrolytes , Ginger soothes nausea , and of course boiled water is safe to drink. Much better than that bottled stuff that makes you even sicker!

I love the introduction, hearing the history about some drinks. I like this one. It's a nice, refreshing drink.

I just started watching these videos. I'm completely hooked! Fascinating!

Excellent video, switchel is one of my favorite drinks! I believe the ancient Roman drink was called posca, and was typically made with water, vinegar or cheap red wine, and honey that was heated until well mixed. It has that strong vinegar smell but with a sweet and refreshing taste, and is very filling when you drink it with some bread after a hard day of work

I'm constantly impressed with your videos and just can't get enough of them. Thank you so much for all that you do!

Just so happened to have the blackstrap molasses from my brewing days, and powdered ginger and apple cider vinegar. Made a fresh jug of Switchel! Thanks a bunch for the recipe, Townsends. You NEVER disappoint.

I just made and had a glass of this, I used honey instead of molasses, because of this my came out lighter in color than yours, but it is a most excellent drink. I taste like and apple juice with ginger added to it. And like others have said no one flavor over powers the other. They work well together to make a very good drink. Next time I will try the maple syrup blend.

in Pennsylvania it's called haymakers punch and a larger company the turkey hill company makes it for sale along with iced teas. they have multiple versions based on lemon aide, iced tea, cider and the planer version you showed.

ive been drinking ASV and raw honey or light molasses..with raw graded ginger or lime for years.. on hot days.. working hard. it revives you.. glad to know i am not as crazy as ive been told while drinking this

Pretty cool. Thanks for the recipe. I work in really hot weather during the summer time. We try everything here to stay hydrated. Water, Gatorade, pickle juice, coconut water. Anything. I will try this for our prolonged heatwave next week!

This sounds like the "Ginger Water" Laura Ingalls Wilder describes in her book "The Long Winter".

"he's on the swish hard, Ricky"

I am absolutely in love with this channel. Thank you so much.

kind of like Kombucha, since the ACV is already fermented. Love all these episodes!

I love this channel, great content and a very kind and charismatic host. Keep doing what you are doing, and i hope your hard work pays off with a popular youtube channel and plenty of ad revenue, you earned it :)!

The spoon used in that berry mash was so beautiful.. I've made a vinegar and cranberry drink before, but the vinegar has to be very very diluted and very sweet to be palatable. This recipe looks very promising.

I love your presentation, everything. Thank you for the great atmos plus oh yes, great recipe.

I made a version of this all last summer but used a fruit vinegar I accidentally made when I pressed a fruit we call loquat in NZ where I am. One backyard tree pumped out about 20 buckets of fruit and so glad I blended and then pressed them out. It was a divine tasting cider but soured very quickly. It ended making the greatest Switchel.

I just made this per your recipe and I its quite interesting and refreshing. I clean houses and get really tired. Thank you for the recipe!

Great video! I am addicted ! Although I have just recently started watching and subscribed to your channel, I can't get enough. I haven't tried any of these recipes yet but I plan on it soon. It's interesting how people used to live, eat and drink from long ago and I'll try just about anything once....Thanks

I truly don't understand down votes on this channel. Incredible history and production.

Love it! I carried ginger water to my dad in the fields during his planting/harvest time! I'll try it with the molasses! I just happen to have Bajan molasses. I drink this ginger cider vinegar honey drink often!! Thank you for sharing! 👍

You guys are so great! I just found this show and I love it! This is so cool!

I just wanted you to know, I've been sharing your channel with all my homeschool groups :) LOVE your channel & supplies, I only wish my budget did ;)

Fun and informative videos you do. HUGS and Blessings for ALL. Ty for sharing your thoughts and time with us ALL. GOD bless you ALL 👣🦋🌠🏞🌌⚱

I made it! ❤❤❤ I used about 1/4 less of the molasses and fill the rest of the half cup with honey (for it's properties). This drink really is quite good!

Ginger switchel is still one of my go-to drinks at home albeit with sparkling water.

I live in Connecticut and there are still people alive today who remember drinking switchel after working in the hayfields in summer.

Love this kinda stuff, will be having a go at making this very soon! Thanks Townsends!

Absolutely fascinating! Thanks for the share!

Rum ration?! I want a rum ration lol

Switchel: it's got electrolytes.

Many thanks for sharing your wholesome and refreshing videos!🙂

Thank you for the awesome videos you post. They're so interesting and just plain old feel good.

Delicious! If you haven't tried it, I recommend using a raw, unfiltered cider vinegar, such as Bragg's. It's far milder and more flavorful than a regular cider vinegar, and is far more period appropriate!

Just a thought... The little mixing sticks used for mixed drinks are called "Swizzle Sticks..." Could this be a reference to Switchel/Swizzle?

I first heard of this drink years ago from one of my old fave books, A Northern Light and I remember stopping my reading for a minute and imagining how it would taste. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

Thank you. Great Video and I appreciate your knowledge, generosity and costumes/set!

This would be a great drink after working out at the gym!

ok... now I am confused as to why this isn't currently a household staple; can't wait to make some!!

I've made this In the past and was telling my son about it today. I knew it had electrolytes, and couldn't recall the ingredients list precisely. Thank you for this.

Loving all your shows.

am I the only one who loves vinegar? it's so yummy!

How in the hell could anyone dislike this!?

I just love these videos so much!

I did this and loved it. Thanks for the recipe and variations!

Ivee also heard it called hay makers punch mostly by the old folk in upstate NY

Why, this sounds like granny's spring tonic!

I sure do love this channel. So many interesting things to try!

You have some of the most brilliant videos I've ever seen on cooking. Please keep developing them. Don't worry about what the comment section says. If anyone thinks that your political, they're absolutely false. Let's not forget educational levels have decreased since the 1800s.

This guy is pimp tight from 1776

That sounds much like the "sour wine" of the Roman legionaires

Ol' Jim seems like a genuinely kind and good human being. I watch just for that a lot of the time.

Thanks for doing this one! I love this recipe and I've been making it often, substituting the vinegar with lemon juice. This is great.

I make a similar drink using maple syrup, lemon, and red pepper. I guess I need to add ginger.

Swizzle my nizzle, fo' shizzle.

I just made switchel!!! It’s great. Go me! Go Townsends!!

good job just a another awesome video from one Townsend to another!

This s is amazing! Better for you than that Monster energy crap

Glad you are doing this series. Many good drinks from before pop and Kool-ade. If you read Mark Baker's books on long hunters, these drinks were popular at social gatherings. Looking forward to more videos, thanks.

I always come here for a feel good when everything is else is going to crap. Thank you guys. And when our world does burn I know you guys will do just fine.

I love this recipe. I’ve been making this for when I work on the garden. It really gives the me the energy I need. It’s like homemade gatorade. Whenever I feel lightheaded when I stand up from gardening I’ll go in a make myself some of this and I instantly feel better.

My wife and I just LOVE your videos! You mentioned using honey in the switchel recipe, but for sweetening in other recipes you mention sugar or molasses much more often. Was honey not used quite as much in the 18th century? On a related topic, I wonder why we don't hear more about mead (honey wine or beer) from this period. I Brea and have found mead much easier to make than beer.

Haha that sounds like a cold remedy!

Ugh! I 💖 this channel, this stuff is so easy to make who would of thought.

This was a very good video, thanks for posting it!

Was Ginger Beer available in the eighteenth century?

17th century 30 year old boomer's favourite drink.

James, this channel is a daily inspiration!

Great video, keep them coming, love them