(Cassie)
Have you ever seen a drunken raisin?
While they can be belligerent as hell, their value far overweighs their shortcomings.
Drunken raisins, otherwise known as gin & raisins or gin soaked raisins are a totally natural way to help relieve arthritic pain and other body aches. And they really work!
The formula is simple! 1 box of California Golden Raisins and Gin.
I’ll explain why I have three varieties of gin shown here in a minute.
So, just how can this odd couple actually work together to help you feel good? And where did this idea start?
My research shows that Paul Harvey (radio personality) first touted the magic of drunken raisins in the early 1990’s. Since then, Good Morning America featured the dynamic duo on a show called, “Home remedies that really work…but we don’t know why.”
I’m not sure who first combined these two ingredients, but after it’s debut on Paul Harvey, people began mixing up their own batches and telling their friends, who in turn told their friends, and so on, and so on.
My Mom overheard a discussion some twenty years ago in a restaurant and has been faithfully eating a spoonful of these magic bullets every day to relieve the severe pain she had in her neck/shoulder area after a car accident she had been in a few years before.
Mom SWEARS by this formula and brings a batch (in a peanut butter jar) with her when she travels to mine and Jessica’s homes for her annual visits.
Some say it’s the juniper in the gin. Others suggest that it’s the medicinal powers of the golden raisin, and YES, you have to use the GOLDEN raisin in this mix.
I personally think it’s the combination of all of that, plus the positive energy and intention of taking the raisins to relieve aches and pains.
Are you ready to try them out? I have to tell you that I DON’T LIKE GIN! But, I love the taste of the raisins once they’ve plumped up, absorbed the gin and have gotten a bit sweet and syrupy. YUM.
OK, let’s make a batch together.
First, you’ll need 1 full box of the raisins.
Place them in a shallow bowl that has a lid.
Now, you’re going to pour gin right up to the level of the raisins. Don’t cover them with the liquid, just add enough to have the liquid come up to the top row of raisins.
The reason I’ve shown three different varieties (and price points) of gin in the picture above, is because some folks (Mom included) prefer CHEAP gin and think it makes the raisins taste sweeter. We (hubby and I) like to use a medium or high grade of gin because we don’t mind that KICK that we get when we eat our raisins.
Now, it’s going to take 1 week for your raisins to soak up your gin and be ready to eat. Here’s what I do. I have an apothecary jar that holds my “ready” batch. When it begins to get low, I start another batch and put a post-it note on the top with the date they’ll be ready.
When the batch in the shallow bowl is ready, I’ll dump it into the apothecary jar and mix them together. They can sit right on the counter. They do not need refrigeration.
Each day, take a clean spoon and scoop out 9-12 raisins. You don’t have to count them, this is not an exact science! Just use a teaspoon and make it heaping.
Eat them in the morning (but your breath might smell like booze…oops!), or at night. Anytime of the day is fine. Just remember to dip in each day.
It might take 4-6 weeks to really start feeling the benefits of the drunken raisins, but it’s worth the wait.
For me? I’ve got some stubborn issues I’m working with in the hip and psoas region and I need a TABLESPOON at a time. I’ve just begun taking them religiously and am loving every bite.
We take our “medicine” right after dinner and it often takes the place of dessert!
Give these little wonders a try! It can’t hurt!
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I’ve been using the gin-soaked raisins for years. I have some major pain issues, and I think the raisins definitely help, plus as you say, they taste pretty darn good too. How else can I justify having a heaping tablespoon of gin right after breakfast?!
My recipe called for leaving the dish uncovered while the raisins soaked, but I figured, where’s the fun in that? I actually just make mine right in the apothecary jar. I have a big jar that holds one box of raisins, and I cover them with gin and in a week or so they are all full of plump, syrupy goodness.
I use Bombay Sapphire gin. It’s “infused with the aromatic flavors of 10 botanicals”, or so the ads say, and supposedly is THE BEST for the raisin recipe.
Thanks for sharing about these, Cassie!
Forgot to say…Leaving the container uncovered was supposed to be so the alcohol would evaporate. Why would you want that to happen?? Especially if you are using the high-end stuff? They seem to work just fine for me in their completely drunken state!
Thanks Cassie for the info and makings how to. I will have dh get me a box of goldens and a bottle of Gin tomorrow when he goes to town to buy my “Needed Stuff” to get me thru the weekend as he is going to Art Garden for the Sat and Sun
jewelry class. I shall give it a try. You have not steered me anyway but right my dear. Hugs
How interesting! I remember Teresa Heinze Kerry mentioning this on the campaign trail.
If you aren’t a drinker, does this get you tipsy?
thanks for a great tip – will try it!
Shelley, thanks for the great tips. I also read a recipe that suggested covering the jar with cheesecloth. Maybe that’s to let the alcohol out too. Hmmm…you’re right though. I don’t want to let our alcohol escape.
Lani, so happy you’re going to give this a try! xo
Suzanne, the drunken raisin talk on the campaign made a bit of trouble for old Teresa! I don’t remember that happening, but I just read about it when searching more info.
Finally, I really doubt that this little amount of alcohol would have an effect on you. Hey, maybe it would be a good idea to use the cheesecloth idea or leave the container open. That way, your alcohol can go bye-bye.
Knees, hips, and shoulder! All need pain relief. I’m going shopping tomorrow and will give this a try.
Thanks for all the great blogs, fun, and information. I sometimes get behind, but love catching up as I am tonight.
Really? Really? Never heard of this! Okay going home tonight and making some snockered… um drunken … raisins tonight both for me (chronic shoulder and neck pain) and 80 yo mom (osteoarthritis and now fibromyalgia). Like someone else said – you’ve always steered us right. Thanks!
Drunken raisins are getting around.
Feel Good Reipe!
Put your drunken raisins in a cup of yogurt aprinkle with hemp seed,Lecithin add ground flax. You can be sure to be feelng better no matter what ails you.YUMMY! This was recommended to me by a very wise Potter.
Coincidence? Maybe. But I suffered for a year with a bum hip. One doc said it was coming from my back and gave me 2 epidurals. Another said I had hip bursitis and gave me 2 shots. I even had acupuncture. Nothing helped. In desperation I began the drunken raisin route. It took about 2 1/2 months and then I noticed that I was almost completely pain-free. Now, I have been COMPLETELY pain-free for the past 4 months. I don’t know if it’s the raisins but I don’t dare stop eating them. And they are yummy.