cooling summer drinks

Try these cooling summer drinks to refresh you and make for good cocktail mixers, too!

SWITCHEL

This amazing traditional beverage from Appalachian folk herbalists tastes like ginger beer and aids digestion.

You will need:

• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 Tablespoon honey

• 2 cups water

• 1/2¼teaspoon fresh grated ginger root or a pinch of dry ground ginger

Combine and stir until the honey dissolves. Serve cold as a sweet-tangy summertime drink. If you make this often, you can save yourself some time by making a honey-ginger syrup to keep in the fridge and use that instead of mixing up the ingredients each time.

FRUIT JUICE SHRUB

Shrubs, also called "drinking vinegars," are relics of the colonial era. They are tangy, refreshing,and easy to make by mixing a fruity vinegar syrup mixed with water or seltzer.

You will need:

• 1 cup fresh fruit

• 1/2 cup fresh minced herbs

• 1/4½cup honey

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

My favorite fruit and herb combinations are strawberry basil, apple mint, and blueberry rosemary.

Blend these together in a blender.

Combine and store in your refrigerator in a covered jar for 3 to 5 days until the flavors meld.

To make your shrub, combine 1 part concentrate with 3 or 4 parts cold water or unflavored seltzer.