3 Ways to Drink Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry syrup isn’t just for immunity shots when you are sick! Consuming elderberry can help boost your immunity and give you vital nutrients any day of the year. Elderberry has much to offer, particularly through the cold months (months both actually cold and plagued with the cold sickness). There are many ways to consume elderberries and often, the easiest is elderberry syrup (you can make your own elderberry syrup - recipe here). Below are three ways to drink elderberry syrup. These are three delicious recipes you can tailor to your needs. Just drinking elderberry syrup is beneficial but combining it with other herbs can increase its effectiveness!

Not sure about what elderberry to use? I make my own so I can control what goes in - I prefer just elderberries and honey! You can find my recipe here. If you are looking for a natural version Sweet's Syrups is a great brand to try. A woman owned business pumping out amazing elderberry syrup? She's one  to support and the product is phenomenal (this is NOT paid advertising, I just like her stuff!). You can also buy organic elderberries from your local health food store (or you can buy them here on amazon). When using dried elderberries, you will need to make a decoction. A decoction is boiling water with elderberries then simmer 20 minutes and drain off the berries. 

3 Ways To Drink Elderberry Syrup (Drink Edition):

1. Elderberry Switchel

Switchels date back to the 1700s. It was like the colonials’ version of gatorade and was helped to quench thirst. You can even find a simple recipe in “The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder! A basic switchel is water, ginger, honey, and apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar add certain nutrients. Honey and ginger help with energy. Elderberry boosts immunity and has antiviral effects. This is a great post-flu drink to help ease a queasy tummy and replenish electrolytes. Ginger can help fight against bad bacteria and settle stomach and digestive upsets. 

2. Elderberry Lemon Tea

Many of us have seen the age-old, honey lemon tea for coughs and colds. This takes is a step farther by adding elderberry syrup. It is the perfect way to boost your immunity and soothe a sore throat. Elderberry has been shown to help shorten durations of colds and flu symptoms, like in this study of air travelers. You can add cinnamon for flavor, if you like!

3. Elderberry Soda

Here, we have a Elderberry Grapefruit Rose Soda. I used Spindrift Grapefruit (sparkling water with a little grapefruit juice – no icky additives) and a splash of rose water (or rose tea) with my elderberry syrup. You can use plain sparkling water or dress it up with fancy sparkling waters. I can’t wait to try it with Spindrift Blackberry. Another great idea is to use ginger ale (like this real ingredient, less sweet ginger ale by Q)! It would be immune boosting and soothing for a queasy tummy.
Note: Sparkling waters and the Spindrift soda have no extra sweetener. Elderberry syrup usually has honey so I find this sweet enough. But you can add stevia for a quick no-calorie sweetener!

In review, I hope you enjoyed these three (plus) ways to drink elderberry syrup but, most of all, I hope this encourages you to experiment with your elderberry syrup! What recipe would you most likely use? Let me know in comments!

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