Blood Orange and Elderberry Elixir

Put your hand up if you get sick at least once a winter?

I thought so. I also used to find myself getting sick every winter (siigh) but over the years have learned that reducing my sugar intake, upping my vitamins and trying to get lots of rest helps tremendously. And the for the last two seasons I have taken Wild Muskoka’s Elderberry Syrup and  have stayed healthy the WHOLE WINTER. Imagine that. Everyone else is sneezing, coughing and just exhausted and here I am feeling fabulous.

Wild Muskoka Botanicals was kind enough to send me some of their product so I could share with you the magic of elderberries. I created this beautiful warm tonic to sip on throughout the winter with blood orange juice, ginger, lemon and of course, elderberry syrup. It’s the perfect winter elixir to keep you healthy!

Are you ready to give it a go? Read on friends.

This post is sponsored by my good friends at Wild Muskoka Botanicals.  I share this recipe because I absolutely love their products!

This post contains affiliate links. Please see the Sweet Lizzy Disclosure for more information.

Let’s talk about elderberries for a moment. Have you had elderberry syrup before?

Elderberry is a flowering shrub whose berries and flowers have been used as a folk remedy throughout North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa.  Some studies have been done to look into the effectiveness of elderberries and elderberry syrup in treating influenza with much success. This study found that with 15ml of elderberry syrup per day, influenza symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier. Here it is shown that elderberry extract  significantly reduces cold severity and duration in air travellers.  You can find out lots more information about elderberries here.

Let’s talk about Wild Muskoka Botanicals for a second. First of all, Laura runs a badass business. She ethically harvests wild foods here in Ontario and makes the most wonderful small batch products.  There are things like Spruce Tip Sugar, White Pine & Rosemary Salt, Wild Leek Vinegar, Strawberry and Sumac Shrub and of course, this Elderberry Syrup (my favourite!). Laura also runs a Wild Medicine Program throughout the summer and does Foraging Walks in the Muskoka area. I highly recommend both the Wild Medicine Program and any walks you can attend.  I have learned so much about food and herbalism through both of these!

Now let’s get to this recipe!  It is super simple and only requires 5 ingredients:

1. Blood orange juice (or regular orange juice will do)
2. Wild Muskoka Botanicals Elderberry Syrup
3. Freshly grated ginger
4. Lemon Juice
5. Hot water

Mix these together and you have yourself a nourishing wintertime elixir. Feel free to add more orange juice or lemon juice to suit your taste. I like adding the warm water and drinking it lukewarm but you could heat the whole elixir up so it is hot.  I also recommend doubling or tripling the recipe so you can have some in your fridge for a couple of days to heat up as needed.

Looking for more elixir recipes?  Try these:

Vegan Salted Caramel and Cardamom Latte

Chaga Apple Cider

Cardamom Collagen Drinking Chocolate

Chocolate Beet latte

Hibiscus Healer

Tried the recipe? loved it? Rate it and tag #sweetlizzy on Instagram!

Blood Orange and Elderberry Elixir

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

A warming winter elixir using elderberry syrup and blood orange juice.

• Author: Sweet Lizzy
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 serving 1x
• Category: Beverage
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Paleo

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

1/2 cup blood orange juice

2 tbsp Wild Muskoka Botanicals Elderberry Syrup

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup hot water

Instructions

1. Mix all of the ingredients together.
2. Strain out the ginger before serving and serve with slices of blood orange. Enjoy!

Keywords: Elderberry, paleo, Blood Orange