Garlic Syrup Recipe

I made a few batches of this formula years ago and have not made it since. One reason is that it is put through a wine press, and at the time I had one with a wood press plate. I would have to soak the plate in vinegar for a couple of days to get the odor of garlic out before I made something else in it. Besides a wine press, I also typically use a Vitamix to make formulas like this. A vitamix is the one horsepower blender used in smoothie shops. I don’t like to wait around for 4 or more weeks, plus vitamix’ed mixtures are stronger, although once bottled they should sit for a week or more to “meld” before use.

I first describe how I made it, then how it could be made without a vitamix or wine press.

For the “extractant,” use two parts vodka or rum to two parts apple cider vinegar to one part vegetable glycerin. Vegetable glycerin is used as part of the extractant when the herbs have oily components it is wished to preserve. Too much, though, and it is impossible to strain because it is so thick. Glycerin is used only with active extraction or tincture methods, so is not used in the soak method.

Add to vitamix 4 parts by weight garlic cloves (removed from the head but no need to remove the individual peels), 2 parts ginger root (whole pieces scrubbed), and 1 part each fennel, caraway seeds, and anise seed. Add enough extractant to process in vitamix to thick slurry. Press to strain. Add honey to make 25% of mixture.

To make the old fashioned way, chop garlic, slice or shave ginger, and grind seeds to coarse powder, or at least bruise them. Add all to jar. Pour half and half apple cider and vodka (or rum) to cover. Let sit 4 weeks, shaking occasionally, and strain. Add honey to taste. The formula can be made with just apple cider vinegar and no vodka.

Garlic syrup can be used for most infectious chronic and acute illnesses. Due to the stomach and intestinal calming effects of the ginger, fennel, and caraway seeds, along with the antiseptic action of the garlic, it is excellent for digestive disorders like IBS and Crohn’s, too.