Hibiscus Pomegranate “Cheater” Fire Cider Recipe
This is my household’s go-to fire cider recipe. Milder and sweeter than other fire cider recipes, hibiscus pomegranate fire cider makes a great gift for the herbally uninitiated. I promise, I won’t tell if your fire cider finds its way into the loving embrace of bubbles and gin. However, I most certainly wouldn’t condone, under any circumstances, the mixing of fire cider with tequila and pomegranate juice, served in a martini glass with a salted rim.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Double boiler or nested pots
- Cheesecloth or potato ricer
Ingredients
- 64 ounces apple cider vinegar
- 10 ounces honey - Use less for a more savory vinegar.
- 2 medium onions
- 2 large garlic bulbs
- 4 ounces fresh ginger root
- 2 ounces fresh turmeric root
- 5 ounces horseradish root
- 2 large pomegranates - When ripe they are plump, succulent, and garnet in color. Can substitute with 4 ounces of pomegranate juice for 1 pomegranate.
- 2 oranges
- ½ ounce dried whole cayenne peppers - Can substitute 1 tablespoon of dried cayenne powder for 1/2 an ounce of whole peppers.
- 1.25 ounce dried hibiscus flowers - Cut and sifted.
Directions
- Peel the garlic, and coarsely chop the onions, ginger, horseradish, and turmeric. Place them in a food processor or blender, along with the cayenne peppers. Add enough apple cider vinegar to cover. I prefer a glass blender if it is available. Work in two batches. Blend carefully with the lid on and take care not to let fumes or slurry get in your eyes.
- Place the slurried spiciness from both batches into a double boiler. Don’t have one? Nest a smaller pot inside a bigger pot or saucepan and use a couple of upside-down mason jar rings to keep the inside pot off the bottom of the outer one. Add a little water to the outside pot and voilà—double boiler! Add the rest of the apple cider vinegar to the slurry and keep the heat on low, with the lid on! Let the mixture heat on low; don’t let it get above 120°F (49°C) for three hours, stirring occasionally. Again, be careful with the fumes!!!!
- Meanwhile, back at the bat cave, peel your oranges and deseed the pomegranates, sneaking off a nibble or two. Put on an old apron and mash the pomegranates and oranges with a potato masher in the sink.
- After a couple of hours, taste the slurry. If it’s too mild for your fire cider pleasure, this is your chance to add more of the spicy herbs and cook for one more hour. After three hours of total cooking time, turn off the heat, and add the hibiscus and the juicy pomegranate/orange mixture. Let sit for one hour and check the color—if it’s too light, add more hibiscus. When the cider is a beautiful red hue, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or potato ricer. You’ll need to squeeze out or press the slurry, or you will lose a great deal of the medicine. (Don’t use your bare hands to squeeze out the cider or you’ll burn/irritate your skin.) Add the honey and mix well, making sure all the honey is dissolved.
- Place in sterilized, clear-glass jars, label, and refrigerate. Dosage is 1 teaspoon (5 ml) as needed.
Notes
This cider should be refrigerated for longer-term storage. It should keep for one year refrigerated—check for signs of spoilage, such as mold or off-smells. It may keep unrefrigerated for a short period (up to a few weeks), but the extra liquid from the pomegranate and oranges can dilute the vinegar enough to allow microbial growth. If you are making the recipe just for yourself, I recommend using a fourth of all the ingredients (yielding about 16 ounces [480 ml] of fire cider, or 1 pint).