‘Low Fire’ Cider Recipe

Fire Cider is a herbal tonic used to “support a strong immune system, to thwart the advance of a cold or flu, and to stoke the digestive fire”. There are many, many different versions of fire cider but essentially it generally includes onion, garlic, and horseradish steeped in apple cider vinegar, sometimes with citrus and chilli, and honey for sweetness. I decided to make my first batch when I was on a very limited diet (covid-related gut issues) where onion and garlic were problematic, and I didn’t have any horseradish. I did add a little of the ‘hot’ ingredients but instead stacked it full of other health-giving plants – I’ve called it my ‘Low Fire’ Cider. It is delicious and I’m loving it in vinaigrette.

It is not very often that traditional herbal preparations get caught up in legal proceedings but there was a bit of controversy around Fire Cider that I found fascinating so thought I would share it with you – along with my recipe of course.

Back in 2012, a US company trademarked the name of its signature product – Fire Cider. The company founder said he learned the basics of making fire cider from his German grandmother and that he had tinkered with it for decades until it tasted ‘just right’. He wanted to protect the brand name so that large companies wouldn’t copy it, but also sent ‘cease and desist’ letters to small-scale vendors on Etsy, eventually getting the products delisted from the website.

Herbalists have been making and selling fire cider for decades, long before the company even existed. Many trace it back to Rosemary Gladstar, known as a “godmother of modern herbalism” in the 1980s. Among herbalists, there is a culture of sharing recipes – herbalism is a ‘people’s medicine’ and it is spread through instruction. So the herbal community was ‘up in arms’ about this trademark and organised petitions, protests and boycotts.

In 2015, the company took legal action against the protestors for infringing the trademark and harming their business through the boycott. The case finally came to an end in 2019 when a Massachusetts court ruled that “fire cider” is a generic term and the trademark was invalidated. For more detail see articles like this one from the NY Times.

So now I am sharing my Low Fire Cider recipe – safe from any legal action!

1 cup chopped leeks
1/2 cup chopped fresh turmeric or 1 tbsp powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh ginger or 4 tbsp powder
1/4 cup chopped garlic
Big handful fresh thyme
1 whole lemon, chopped
1 whole lime, chopped
1 whole orange, chopped
2 whole fresh chillies, chopped
2 tbsp dried rosemary
2 tbsp dried sage
2 tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp black peppercorns
2 slices astragalus root or 2 tsp powder
4 star anise
4 cups apple cider vinegar
Honey to sweeten (optional)

Add ingredients to a sterilised jar and cover with vinegar. Cover and let macerate for at least a month (4-6 weeks).

Strain the vinegar. Measure volume and add 1/2 the volume of honey to sweeten.

Label and store in a cool dark place.