Before doing anything, please read through this webpage, Homestead and chill Deanna Talerico gives a detailed, step-by-step tutorial along with valuable tips and tricks. Most of this content and all photos are taken from her page. I’m giving her FULL credit for her awesome work on this topic. She has many great wellness recipes and tips so click that link above and browse around.

Fire cider is your best winter “armor” for both promoting wellness and fighting off a bug quickly. It’s good for the whole family, all natural, and easy to make using local ingredients.

What is Fire Cider?

Fire cider is a spicy, tangy herbal tonic that combines powerful immune-supporting ingredients infused in raw apple cider vinegar. It’s naturally anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-viral, and acts as a decongestant. Loaded with probiotics, vitamins, and minerals, it can help prevent illness or shorten the duration of cold and flu symptoms.

Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of spicy foods – you can adjust the heat level, and adding honey at the end helps balance the bold flavors.

The Greensted Advantage

We stock nearly every ingredient you need for this recipe! Most items are sourced locally and organically. Just give us a week’s notice and we’ll make sure everything is ready for your fire cider-making day.

Fire Cider

The recipe below is for one quart jar of fire cider. It’s best to use organic ingredients.

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Course: Drinks

Ingredients

1 medium onion chopped
4-5 cloves garlic chopped
3-4 tbsp fresh horseradish root grated or chopped. If you can’t find fresh horseradish root, use 2 Tbsp of dried horseradish.
3-4 tbsp fresh ginger grated or chopped
Raw unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar Enough to fill the jar and submerge the other ingredients. Usually you'll need most of a full 32 ounce bottle of AVC per half-gallon jar of fire cider (or 16 ounces per quart jar).
Raw honey, local of course! Added later, see the instructions below. To make it vegan you can either brave it and go sans-sweetener, or use a natural plant-based replacement like maple or agave syrup.
Cayenne powder or chili powder also added later
3-4 tbsp fresh grated **turmeric rhizome (substitute equivalent in teaspoons if using dried turmeric powder). optional
Fresh citrus – about one fruit per quart jar. Oranges and lemons are especially delicious in fire cider, although grapefruit and limes are good too. You can juice and zest them, or add slices to the jar. optional
Fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, lemon balm, or lemongrass – a few sprigs per jar is good! optional
Fresh jalapeno or chili peppers – at least one per jar, scaling up for larger batches or for a heat-loving taste preference. optional
1/4 cup dried elderberries or rosehips optional
Black pepper A pinch of peppercorns or few dashes of ground pepper to each jar helps make the **turmeric more bioavailable.
A handful of dried calendula flowers

Instructions

Chop all ingredients. Works best to use a food processor especially for the more fragrant ingredients i.e. horseradish. Wear gloves, using caution, when working with hot peppers.
Fill the jars. Wide mouth mason jars work best. It should be roughly 2/3 to 3/4 full before adding liquid. DO NOT over fill. DO not add honey or chili powder at this time.
Add Apple Cider Vinegar. Slowly pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar, knocking out any air bubbles as needed. Everything should be submerged, or minimally floating on top.
Cover. Cap the jar with either a BPA-free plastic mason jar lid, or high quality food grade stainless steel lid that will not rust. The vinegar will corrode a regular metal jar lid.
Infuse and shake. Let the fire cider steep (infuse) for 3 to 4 weeks, at room temperature. Choose a location you’ll remember to gently shake daily to assist with the infusion process.
Strain. After a minimum of 3 to 4 weeks, it’s time to strain the liquid. This can sit longer, so no pressure if you’re busy and need to push off a few days, or weeks. To strain, use a fine mesh stainless steel strainer over a large empty bowl. Line with cheese cloth to facilitate squeezing out the liquid.
Add Honey. After straining, now you can add the raw honey “to taste.” Deanna suggests 1/4 cup honey per half-gallon jar, but follow your own preference. Honey also mellows the spicy flavor. If your honey is cold, place the bottle in a bowl of warm water to soften. Never ever heat honey in a pan – it destroys the nutrients.
Add cayenne. After thoroughly mixing the honey in, add the cayenne or chili powder, again “to taste.” If it’s already beyond your spice tolerance, you can skip it, or if you didn’t have chilis or jalapenos on hand when starting, you can add the powder now.
Storage. Place the final mixture in jars or bottles and store in a cool, dark place. Typically it is shelf-stable for several months. Refrigerated may last up to a year. Can refrigerate from the start too, as some prefer it chilled.

Notes

How do I take this? Great question! I haven’t read any hard fast rules. I’m sure the internet has lots of ideas. Our protocol at the Bredlau home is to take a “shot” (1 tablespoon) up to 3 times a day when coming down with a bug continuing until well again. It’s best to take with some food or chaser. Take straight or dilute in water or juice (best for kids). Often we will take Elderberry Syrup daily through the cold/flu season to keep the immunity fighters powered up, adding fire cider if a bug catches hold.

And there you go! However if this is a bit too much busy hullabaloo, stop in and grab a bottle of Sailor Mercy Fire Cider, which we keep on hand year round.
Eat well, be well!

Recipe credit: Deanna Talerico, Homestead and Chill

Some historical context for inquiring minds:

Ancient Persia and Greece: Infused vinegars, including those featuring honey (known as oxymels), were used as healing tonics in these ancient civilizations.
European Middle Ages: Medicinal vinegars were part of health practices during this period.
18th Century Europe (Bubonic Plague): The famous “Four Thieves Vinegar” emerged during this time. This herbal vinegar, containing ingredients like rosemary, sage, lavender, garlic, rue, cloves, camphor, and wine vinegar, was rumored to have protected individuals from the plague.
Rosemary Gladstar (1970s/1980s): Gladstar coined the term “fire cider” then popularized and refined the modern Fire Cider recipe, which typically includes ingredients such as horseradish, ginger, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, and honey infused in apple cider vinegar.
Tradition not trademark. Fire cider isn’t just about health—it’s also a story of community activism. In 2014, a legal battle erupted when a company, Shire attempted to trademark the term “fire cider.” Herbalists, including Gladstar, argued that fire cider was a traditional, community-shared remedy and should remain free from commercialization. After a grueling five-year court case, the term was declared public domain in 2019. The victory, documented in the campaign “Tradition, Not Trademark,” ensures fire cider remains accessible as “the people’s medicine.”

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