Best Viva Health Tonic Recipes

Fermented Health Tonic image

Provided by Emillie

Time 10m

Number Of Ingredients 6

1 organic lemon
1 organic lime
3-inch piece of ginger
3-inch piece of turmeric (or 2 Tbsp ground turmeric)
1/4 cup unpasteurized honey or ginger bug (see notes)
3 cups filtered water

Steps:

Wash lemon and lime. Slice them in half and squeeze them into a 1-quart (1 L) jar. Then add them to the jar.
Wash and dice the turmeric and ginger. There's no need to peel them. Add them to the jar.
Add in the honey or ginger bug. Pour in the water, leaving at least 1-inch of headroom at the top of the jar.
Loosely cover the jar or use a fermentation-specific lid (like a pickle-pipe) that will allow gas to escape as it ferments. Place the jar somewhere warm and dark to ferment for 3 to 5 days. Stir once per day with a clean spoon.
To serve, pour through a fine-mesh sieve. If the flavor is too strong, then dilute with filtered water, as necessary. See the section above for details on how to bottle your health tonic to turn it into a sparkling beverage.
Store in the refrigerator and use within 1 month.

Viva! Health Tonic image

Provided by Molly O'Neill

Time 1h30m

Yield One and a half gallons

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 half-gallon organic apple juice
1 5-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 ounce whole dried ginseng root
6 frozen lemon leaves (available at Asian markets)
peel from 1 orange, all white removed
1 stick Chinese cinnamon
1 pint cranberry juice or raspberry juice
1 gallon seltzer water

Steps:

Place the apple juice in a large pot along with the ginger and the ginseng and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add the lemon leaves, the orange peel and the Chinese cinnamon and simmer for 45 minutes more. Strain and cool.
When the liquid has completely cooled, add the cranberry or raspberry juice and the seltzer. Serve over ice, and experience a sense of well-being.