As summer heat settles in, you'll crave something cold and crisp in your glass, preferably without a side of artificial flavors. Before neon sports drinks and super-sweet bottled teas crowded store shelves, people used simpler ways to hydrate. Think fruit, herbs, vinegar, and a little sugar or honey.
From sweet-sour shrubs to herb-infused iced teas, these traditional drinks did more than just cool you down. They also preserved the harvest and provided a gentle dose of nourishment rooted in folk medicine. Here are four of the most popular.
Cordials
Before bottled teas and energy drinks became summertime staples, people reached for cordials. They’re a sort of concentrated syrup made from fruit, sugar, and sometimes herbs. Cordials first appeared in the 15th century. They were sweet, boozy blends of herbs, fruit, sugar, and spices that doubled as medicinal tonics. Renaissance-era physicians prescribed cordials to lift the spirits, reinvigorate the body, and, often, as aphrodisiacs.
Jennifer McGruther
Author
Jennifer McGruther is a nutritional therapy practitioner, herbalist, and the author of three cookbooks, including “Vibrant Botanicals.” She’s also the creator of NourishedKitchen.com, a website that celebrates traditional foodways, herbal remedies, and fermentation. She teaches workshops on natural foods and herbalism, and currently lives in the Pacific Northwest.
