Welcome to Hydrating Through History, where we are looking back at some refreshing historic recipes the people of St. Catharines used to beat the heat!

This week, we are looking at a recipe for switchel that was featured in an August 1916 edition of the St. Catharines Standard.

Switchel was a popular drink in New England and enjoyed by many throughout the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. It was the drink of choice for many farmhands looking to cool down during the hot summer months. While many recipes did not explicitly include alcohol or rum in the recipe, the drink was typically sold by liquor sellers with accounts of many people falling “under the inspiration of a mug of switchel” and farmers complaining about their farmhands appearing drunk after consuming the drink. The drink was also enjoyed by members of Congress, where it was somewhat notoriously flavoured with rum.

The St. Catharines Standard is a local St. Catharines based newspaper which was founded by William Bartlett Burgoyne in 1891. The paper remained in the hands of the Burgoyne family until 1996. The Standard’s ownership exchanged hands several times throughout the years before it was acquired by the Torstar Corporation who continue to own and operate the paper today through its subsidiaries. Today, the St. Catharines Standard continues to serve St. Catharines and the wider Niagara Region, publishing six days a week, Monday to Saturday.

Joshua Yoon is a program assistant at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre.