When the time came to return home after a few weeks in Italy, I was ready to be back. I wasn’t yet tired of visiting my family, of drinking spritzes in the middle of the day. I hadn’t had my fill of gelato or of laying out by the lake guiltlessly reading. But the constant travel and record-breaking heat had worn me down, and I was ready to get back to my daily routine. I’m someone who tries my best to cook the majority of my meals, exercise, and hydrate, but that routine goes out the window when I travel. Between the travel fatigue, eating out, and improper hydration, my gut needed resettling.
On the flight home, as I thought about my kitchen and the heat wave following me across the Atlantic, I found myself craving one thing waiting for me at home: sauerkraut brine.
I’m not the only one that finds a little acid and salt refreshing on a hot day. In some ways the brine from fermented cabbage is the perfect electrolyte drink, with salt, vitamins, minerals, and some carbohydrates left from the cabbage, without the overt sweetness of a sports drink. It also has all the probiotic and postbiotic diversity that helps your gut microbiome after weeks of travel stress, too little fiber, and (in my usual case) one too many vacation treats.
Across Central and Eastern Europe, brine has been consumed for centuries, from Croatia (called rasol) to Germany (sauerkrautsaft), sometimes as a hangover cure, other times as a cold and sour pick-me-up. And yes, you will catch me drinking brine straight out of a jar, but fermented brines are also having a trendier moment in bars and restaurants. Order a dirty spritz, a splash of olive brine in a club soda, as a refreshing non-alcoholic summer drink.
My version of the dirty spritz, is a shot (or two) of sauerkraut brine in an ice cold sparkling water. Using different brines, from red sauerkraut or other vegetables, can add a beautiful color. If the taste is too strong, adding some fruit juice can help mask the taste and add sweetness.
Making your own is very simple: shred the cabbage, salt, pack it in a fermentation jar, and loosely cover it (to let air escape while keeping unwanted things like bugs and dust out), then let it ferment for a couple of weeks in a dark, cool place. Once the brine is to your liking, squeeze out the brine into a new container. Both can be stored in the fridge and are ready to consume as a cold shot, in a seltzer, or with a little vinegar and honey like a switchel. Getting back into a routine after travel is not always easy, but having my brine ready for when I return makes it easier.