Make your own immune-supporting fire cider tonic with this easy recipe! Fire cider is full of health benefits from medicinal plants and herbs that are infused into raw apple cider vinegar and sweetened with raw honey. Just a couple of spoonfuls a day will help support your immune system and overall health throughout the year but especially during cold and flu season.
I’ve been sitting on this post for a while, apologies. October came and went, fast but slow. We’ve been in the thick of renovating our (only) bathroom (yay, the perks of tiny house living) for the past month, and the urgency of getting everything set up before the freezing temps emerge has taken top priority in our lives. I’ll be sharing more about that later and you can follow along on our DIY adventures in my Instagram story highlights. All that to say I started this batch of my immune-supporting homemade fire cider recipe at the end of September to keep our health in check through cold/flu season.
Jump to:
A Traditional Herbal Remedy
I started making fire cider years ago, inspired by renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, founder of the california school of herbal studies, and her original recipe. Fire cider (sometimes called fire tonic) is a traditional folk remedy of raw apple cider vinegar that is infused with any number of immune-supporting herbs and plants. The “fire” comes from the addition of hot chile peppers like habanero or cayenne, which have been shown to increase circulation, boost metabolism, and support the immune system. Not to mention that just a pinch of hot chile will clear your sinuses instantly. I like this spicy tonic to be extra hot, but you can adjust the heat level by adding less or more chile peppers to the recipe.
Fire cider was one of the first products I sold through the Fare Isle brand from about 8 years ago up until the spring of 2019. During that time some controversy sprang up over the use of the term “fire cider” because one company had wrongfully trademarked the name, which had been used in the herbalist community for years before that company ever existed. I was one of many small brands that were forced to change their product name and I rebranded my fire cider as “rocket cider”. Thankfully the court sided with the herbalists who were sued by said company and the name fire cider is once again free in the public domain, as it should be. Learn more about what happened at freefirecider.com.
Start with Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
You can add any immune-supporting ingredients to fire cider and the recipe I’m sharing below is just one of many out there. Get creative and change it up to your tastes. Fire cider starts with a base of unpasteurized or raw apple cider vinegar which aids in digestion, fights infection, and clears the sinuses, among other health benefits.
fire cider Ingredients and Their Benefits
Aside from unpasteurized apple cider vinegar and chili peppers, fire cider ingredients are completely flexible! The following list of ingredients is what I used when I photographed the images for this post and is what I most often use when making this herbal tonic, but the beauty of fire cider is that you can add whatever medicinal plants you like or have access to. If you can’t find some of these ingredients, like fresh horseradish root for example, then just leave them out or replace them with something else. Dried herbs and ingredients are fine to use as well.
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar: aids in digestion, fights infection, clears the sinuses
Hot Peppers: such as cayenne pepper, habanero increase circulation, boost metabolism, immune system support
Onion and Garlic: antibacterial and antifungal properties, high in antioxidants, detoxifying
Ginger Root: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, relieves indigestion
Turmeric: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
Horseradish: antibacterial and antifungal properties, fights infection
Rosehips: high in vitamin C, aids digestion
Thyme: expectorant and antibacterial properties, supports the respiratory system
Citrus: high in vitamin C, reduces inflammation, aids digestion
Raw Honey: antibacterial and antifungal properties, soothes sore throats, use local honey if you can source it
Other Common Ingredients:
Medicinal Herbs: Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Tulsi, Savory, Catnip, etc. I like to use whatever herbs are growing in my garden at the time.
Cranberries: powerful antioxidant properties, contain high levels of manganese and potassium and Vitamins C and A
Maple Syrup: used as a vegan-friendly replacement for raw honey.
Nettles: anti-inflammatory and adaptogenic properties, supports adrenals and helps protect bones
Uva Usri Leaves (aka bearberry): anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and cleansing properties
Elderberries: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, contain high levels of potassium, folate, calcium and iron, and Vitamins C and A
Please share other ideas in the comments!
To Sweeten or Not to Sweeten
When I make fire cider at home I usually do not sweeten it and will take a tablespoon straight up or diluted in a small amount of water. It is strong and you will feel it heat you up right away starting from your throat then your abdomen and working out to your outer limbs. It might make your nose run as it clears your sinuses so I like to have a tissue ready to blow my nose right after.
Raw honey is usually used to sweeten fire cider and cut the edge of the heat and spiciness. I would sweeten the fire cider I sold with maple syrup to keep it vegan friendly. The maple didn’t add any medicinal value but it tasted amazing. If you choose to add sweetener to your fire cider then wait until after you’ve strained it once the mixture has infused fully.
How to Make Your Own Fire Cider
Step 1: Once you have all of your ingredients ready, the process of making fire cider is very easy. Fill a clean jar with the prepared ingredients, aside from a sweetener if using, and pour apple cider vinegar into the jar to fully submerge the ingredients.
Step 2: Seal the jar with plastic lid and let it sit at room temperature but away from the sun for anywhere from 2-4 weeks. During this time all of the ingredients will infuse into the apple cider vinegar along with all of their health benefits. After this time strain the vinegar through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.
Step 3: At this point, you can sweeten the fire cider to taste or leave it unsweetened. Transfer the final product to a glass bottle or jar for storage.
How to Store Fire Cider
Store fire cider in a cool dark place away from sunlight. Herbal vinegars like this should last for up to 1 year stored at room temperature. There is no need to refrigerate fire cider but you can refrigerate it if you want to!
Fire Cider Dosage
Take a shot of fire cider or 1-2 tablespoons daily for a potent punch of immune system support and increase that dosage to 3 times a day to use it as a natural remedy to help fight off common cold symptoms. As always remember to please use caution, do your own research, and consult your medical professional before treating yourself or others.
Ways to Use Fire Cider
Dilute fire cider in water or juice: If the taste of fire cider is too strong or potent for you try adding it to water or juice to make it more palatable.
Use fire cider in dressings: Replace vinegar in salad dressing recipes with fire cider for an extra kick of flavor and herbal benefits.
Use fire cider in marinades: Fire cider can be used as a marinade for meats and vegetables. The acid from the apple cider vinegar will tenderize meats while the herbs and vegetables add a fantastic flavor to recipes.
Add it to mocktails: Make refreshing beverages with added herbal benefits by adding a splash of fire cider to your drinks. Pair it with fresh juices mixed with sparkling water for example.
Cook with fire tonic: Add a spoonful of fire cider as to savory stir fries, rice, braising liquids, soups and stews to balance recipes with a note of acid.
Add it to soups or chilis for a bit of heat. This Easy Vegetarian Chili recipe would be perfect!
What to Do with Fire Cider Scraps
Once you strain your fire cider infusion you will be left with herb and veggies scraps. The easiest thing you can do with the scraps is toss them into your compost bin to breakdown and create compost to fertilize your garden or potted plants.
If you’re feeling up to it you can even puree the leftover fire cider scraps in a blender with some water or more apple cider vinegar to create a seasoning paste. Use this wet seasoning to marinate meats, poultry, fish or even tofu. It would be an exceptionally tasty chicken marinade!
You can even take it a step further and dehydrate the fire cider scrap puree to make a dried seasoning to cook with.
Recipe FAQs
Fire cider can be taken once daily to reap the benefits of the immune supporting herbs and ingredients. To help fight off cold symptoms you can increase the dosage to 3 times per day.
Fire cider is one of the best herbal remedies to help support the immune system and fight off symptoms of common colds. Read through the ingredient list and their individual benefits above.
Use fresh herbs when you can but dried herbs and ingredients like dried ginger, turmeric and horseradish work fine. As a general rule when using the dried version of herbs, use roughly half the amount by weight of fresh herbs.
Like all herbal vinegars, fire cider should last for up to one year when stored properly as detailed in this post.
Fire cider is shelf stable when stored in a cool dark cabinet out of sunlight. It is not necessary to refrigerate fire cider but you can certainly store it in the fridge if you’d like.
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a star-rating review of the recipe and let me know what you think in a comment below. This small act is a great way to show your support for the food blogs you read and love.
Tag @fareisle in your photos on Instagram with #fareisle so I can see your creations!
Best Fire Cider Recipe for Immune Support
Ingredients
- 4 cups unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh turmeric
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated fresh horseradish
- 1/2 cup chopped garlic
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup halved fresh rosehips
- 1 whole lemon chopped
- 1 whole lime chopped
- 1 whole orange chopped, or 2 mandarins
- 2 whole fresh habanero peppers chopped
Instructions
- Layer prepared ingredients into a clean 1/2 gallon glass jar then cover them with the apple cider vinegar.
- Cover the jar with a lid and let sit at room temperature out of the sun for 2 weeks.
- Strain liquid into a bowl, pressing the ingredients with the back of a spoon to release as much liquid as possible, and discard everything else.
- Pour the strained liquid into a clean quart jar.
- Optionally sweeten the fire cider to taste with raw honey or maple syrup for a vegan-friendly version.
- Cover the jar with a lid and store at room temperature out of the sun for up to 6 months.
Video
Notes
- If you can’t source ingredients you can leave them out or use dried/powdered versions of items.
- Feel free to add other ingredients like other medicinal quality herbs (rosemary, sage, oregano, etc.), different chile peppers, or any other immune-supporting ingredients that you are familiar with.
- Use caution when foraging wild plants and be sure to identify plants/mushrooms correctly before ingesting them.
- These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information on this site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: I, Kaity Farrell, am not a medical professional and the content on my blog, this website, my Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok pages, and any follow-up comments, is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information on this site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult with your qualified health care professional before treating yourself or anyone else. Neither I nor Fare Isle can be held liable for the choices and actions you as the reader make and/or the outcome of those choices and actions.
Bianca
Y U M, must try!
Kaity Farrell
Thanks, Bianca!
Kaity Farrell
test
Archie Hamiel
Different well being practitioners declare that apple cider vinegar tonics might help flush crystals from the joints of gout sufferers.
Rachael
First batch of fire cider! It turned out amazing! I love the look of the jar filled with all the beneficial fruits, peppers and herbs!
Kaity Farrell
Congrats on your first batch and thank you for your review!
Yisrael Foreman
I like the fact that you can fully customize fire cider by adding other medicinal plants you have access to, to add additional health giving henefits in addition to those supplied by the core ingredient.
Margo D
I’m going to dehydrate ny strained pulp, cool I, powder it, and 1. Put part in capsules, and thrvrest in an airtight containr to add to grinds, salad dressings, dips, etc. should get benefits and no waste.
I might add, on my first batch, after adding the honey and bottling, and sitting a month or two, there is a sediment (which I assume is the honey
Kaity Farrell
Interesting idea! Let me know how it works. Please leave a star rating if you tried the recipe, thanks! The sediment is naturally occurring from the live apple cider vinegar as it continues to eat the sugars in the honey. It’s completely normal and safe to consume. A vinegar “mother” may even form naturally after time and will look like a glob sitting at the bottom of the vinegar.
Erin
I’ve dehydrated mine and ground it the past few years as well. My favorite way to use it is in Broth. Chicken or Chickpea noodle soup is elevated to an ethereal level.
Kaity Farrell
Great tip! I love adding a splash to soups and stews – really helps balance flavors!
Peggy Calhoun
Would like other home remedy recipes! Thank you
Debra Curtsinger
yes. and I can’t wait to get your cookbook
Brittany
Fantastic recipe. I love all the variations you offer here. I have made a fire cider with the listed ingredients and I looove the heat and I used local raw honey!
Kaity Farrell
Thank you for your review and feedback, Brittany!
Samantha
Wow, that’s such a great idea!! I’m glad I read the reviews first, so I can do that, too. Thanks for the least wasteful way. For some reason, I get a little guilty throwing away something I think could benefit me, but don’t know what to do with it. Lol
shaina Hanson
This is a fantastic recipe thank you. Once I strain it I’m putting the pulp in freeze dryer and making a powder that I’m mixing into some raw local honey for some more added support
Tina
I added honey to the mixer before straining will it be ok?
Kaity Farrell
It’s best to add it after but it should be fine!
James B
Tried the following after reading your recipe, not ready yet but the smell is incredible. Will try to culture some yeast from it and semi dry the pulp into some frozen bullion cubes.
Raw ACV
Habanero
Tumeric
Peppercorns
Ginger
Saffron
Orange
Lemon
Fuji Apple
Sweet onion
Rosemary
Oregano
A naturally carbonated savory soda or pet nat primed with honey could be good as well. Thanks for the well written recipe!
A
The original recipe doesn’t ferment but yours definitely will because of the apples and honey. You might get a mother out of it. Or some kahm yeast. If you’re into fermentation there are some cool fermentation groups on Facebook that could help you with that.
Sana Kamara
I am preparing one now and it has been processing since December 11, 2022 and I will stain on 1/15/2023.
It contains all the ingredients listed including rosemary, thyme and pepper from my garden.
Kaity Farrell
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for your review.
Sharon
Hi kaity, I’m wondering if I miss my Cider up! When I was making the batch I added the honey in with it at the beginning of the four weeks😵
Kaity Farrell
That’s ok! It is still good to use and won’t affect the fire cider. Adding it after straining is preferred because you can taste it and add honey to your preference.
Gloria
How much does one take as needed when the cider is ready?
Kaity Farrell
It’s listed in the post under the section: fire cider dosage. “Take a shot of fire cider or 1-2 tablespoons daily for a potent punch of immune system support and increase that dosage to 3 times a day to use it as a natural remedy to help fight off common cold symptoms. As always remember to please use caution, do your own research, and consult your medical professional before treating yourself or others.”
Becky Gavek
I have made this recipe and it’s wonderful!!!!
Kaity Farrell
So happy you like it, Becky! Thank you!
Heidi
I have an abundance of banana peppers left in my garden. Could I use them in this, or are they too mild?
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for your question, Heidi. It’s really personal preference. You can definitely use banana peppers but it will be mild. You can add some dried or powdered hot peppers like cayenne or habanero to give it more heat if you’d like.
Peggy Calhoun
Would like other home remedy recipes! Thank you
Kaity Farrell
Ok, thanks for letting me know!
Stephanie Gillcrist
If taking a dose of this while having sinus or cold symptoms, is it possible to feel achy an hour after taking it when I wasn’t feeling achy before? I’ve only taken two doses and both times I feel slightly achy afterwards. Thanks!
Kaity Farrell
It shouldn’t make you feel achy as far as I know. Most likely the achy feeling is a symptom of the cold/sinus infection. I suggest speaking to your physician or medical professional to find the cause of any symptoms you may have.
Colleen
Could you use ground turmeric? And if yes, how much wolf you use?
Kaity Farrell
Yes, you can use dried or powdered herbs/spices instead of fresh. I would add 1 teaspoon of turmeric per 1 cup of vinegar.
Dolores Uwaezuoke
Yes, I made it let’s see the outcome. I’ll get back with you in the next two weeks.
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for trying the recipe, Dolores! Looking forward to your feedback.
Linda
I have made fire cider and given it away and so many people were better with in 3 days..
Kaity Farrell
So happy to hear that, Linda! It is amazing, right?!
Jane
Hello, and thank you for the recipe which I made about 6 weeks ago. I’m not sure now what to do with it ! Do I strain it off and take by the spoonful or mix with hot water and does it need to be stored in the fridge once opened? Any suggestions gratefully received!
Kaity Farrell
Hi Jane, In the recipe post above I detailed how to strain it, store it and a suggested dosage. You can take drink it straight by the spoonful or as a shot or dilute it in hot or cold water. You can also use it as you would any other vinegar such as salad dressing. Thanks for your questions!
Jane
Thank you for taking the trouble to clarify this !
Kathi fisher
Yes, I made it!
Alayna Fischer
Hi! Just wondering if it HAS to be raw honey? Thanks!
Kaity Farrell
Of course not! You don’t have to add honey or any sweetener at all. Raw honey is traditionally used for its medicinal properties which I detailed in the post. I’ve used maple syrup in the past for a vegan-friendly alternative. The recipe is very flexible. You can add, omit or swap ingredients that work for you!
Gail
What is the ratio for honey to finished cider? Can this be a daily prevention for children with allergies?
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for your question, Gail! There is no set ratio for adding honey. You can add it to your personal taste. As a general rule I would start with 1-2 tablespoons per 1 cup of strained fire cider and go from there. It might be too spicy for children unless you dilute it well. You can make a version without hot peppers which might be more palatable for kids. I have not heard of it being used as allergy prevention so I’m not sure about that.
Dawn White
I am starry my first batch and super excited! I changed up just a couple ingredients but mostly the same. It is awesome just watching the colors change as the cider infuses with the ingredients. It was super easy to make and follow the steps.
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for you feedback, Dawn! Please come back and leave star rating for the recipe. xx
Va
I love this recipe. I am curious if I never strained how long is this good for? A year from now can I still take it? Thank you
Kaity Farrell
Thank you, Va! The vinegar should preserve it for quite some time even if you didn’t strain it. If it smells funky or you see anything that looks like mold, I would not use it. If it smells like vinegar and looks clear when settled after your strain it then it is probably ok to use.
Betty
I want to start making it.but I’m on blood pressure medication an have to keep sugar controlled
Kaity Farrell
Sweetening fire cider is optional. You can make it without adding honey!
Diana over here on MV
My first batch came out great . I came back to find your recipe again to make another batch for holiday gifts. I feel more confident experimenting with different ingredients than the first time around.
Kaity Farrell
It makes such a great gift! Thanks for your feedback, Diana!
Lu
I followed this recipe and let it ferment for 2 weeks and I think this is great but my chest is on fire. Is that normal for you to feel that?
Kaity Farrell
It is potent! Did you dilute it in water? That will help tame the fire you’re feeling.
Sam
My Family Thanks You..amazing stuff..
Suesie
Hi! I just made my first batch today. I noticed that the veg are surfacing above the vinegar. Do I need to use a weight to push them below the surface of the brine — as one does for vinegar?
Thanks for any advice!
Kaity Farrell
I would add more vinegar to cover them. It should fill the jar.
Myrna Pritchett
Thank you
Sara
Could you add frozen cranberries to step one when layering ingredients?
Kaity Farrell
yes, that should be fine.
Emily
I have covid for the first time. Made some at the end if January and was happy to have it on hand!
Kaity Farrell
Thank you, Emily! So happy to hear it helped in your time of need. Hope you are feeling better! Please leave a star rating when you have a chance. xx
Haylee LaPenta
Love the recipe thank you so much for sharing!
Kaity Farrell
Thank you, Haylee!
Dayna
Hi. What is the duration for taking Fire Cider as an immunity booster? A month? A year? For life?
Kaity Farrell
It should be taken regularly to see long term beneficial results. All of the ingredients used are fine to have on a daily basis.
Dayna
Hi. Yes, I made it. I like to add sliced frozen blueberries to mine. It gives it a pretty rosy color and blueberries are super good for us.
Horseradish root has proven to be hard to find in The Republic of Panama so I have left it out and added jalapeno and habanero peppers. It has a kick!
Thanks for posting about this. 😁
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for your feedback, Dayna! Love the addition of blueberries! Please leave a star rating with your review next time, thanks!
Jackie
Hi! I am curious, is there a risk of botulism here, since there is no pressure sealing? Thanks!
Kaity Farrell
It does not need to be canned because vinegar is self preserving due to how acidic it is. That said, you can store the finished fire cider in the fridge if you are concerned about storing it at room temperature.
Samantha
This is an odd question, but could I stick a honey comb (after I’ve strained it) in this cider and leave it in there, and it would be okay? Thank you.
Kaity Farrell
I think it would be fine because honeycomb is self preserving as is vinegar, but I haven’t tested it to be sure.
Kayla
Love this post, well written and informative. We made fire cider last year but didn’t start it until after Christmas. We are making our second batch now and I was curious if it would be beneficial/useful or not to dehydrate all of the ingredients AFTER it is strained and grind to use for seasonings? I hate to just compost them if they can be used even further throughout the year.
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for your question! I haven’t tried that so don’t know for sure how it will taste as seasoning. Most of the nutritive and herbal benefits have been pulled out of the materials and infused in to the vinegar already. If you try it please let us know how it turns out!
Lauren
Thanks for such a detailed recipe. I should have started this a month ago lol! I wanted to swap out dried (not whole) rosehips for fresh. Do you know how much to add?
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for your questions! You can add as mush or as little of rosehips or any other herbs/produce as you want. One of the great things about this recipe is there are no exact measurements required!
Alex Ray
I have made this, plus or minus a few things.
I have been using it the past few months and it easily kicks colds and keeps them from reaching the full cold status.
I think it tasted amazing. I definitely ate some of the scrapes and I plan to either blend or freeze the others. Starting a second batch tomorrow to start infusing while I use my current batch.
Only question is does heat kill the benefits if you cook with the vinegar?
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for your feedback, Alex! I’m glad you like the recipe. Typically you would only add a splash of vinegar when using it for cooking so I don’t think you would reap much benefits from it when used that way, but it would give great flavor to whatever dish you are preparing. High heat would kill beneficial probiotic microbes in unpasteurized vinegar and have detrimental effects on the nutritional value of raw honey. Hope that helps!
Meredith
I love this recipe and am making it for the second year in a row! I appreciate the wide variety of suggested ingredients, and as I’m a huge fan of onion and garlic flavor and food, but *not* in drinks, I stuck to ginger, turmeric root, serranos, jalapeños, cranberries, citrus, and lots of fresh herbs, as well as black peppercorns to activate the turmeric. It comes out really zesty and medicinal but not garlicky. Can’t wait til it’s ready 😉
Kaity Farrell
Thanks so much for your comment and review, Meredith! Black peppercorn is such a good call too!
Debra Ponte
I wanted to see your version. I have been making Rosemary Gladstar’s recipe since 1980 when I was introduced to her book, Herbal Healing for Women. This was my first read by her and which guided us in this hands on Herbal Group I belonged too on Marthas Vineyard Island. We would graze around this old property of the leaders Great Great Grandfathers home! Making Medicinals by the Waning & Waxing of the moon. I make a batch yrly. Thanks Kaity.
Kaity Farrell
Sounds lovely! xoxo
Joon
I just came to ask even if there is no answer, I’m wondering if I CAN some of this…would it last even longer? I’m thinking yes since innately when you can something it’ll last longer, but this has got me thinking long term. 6 months is long but it’s not that long, I think I may play around with this idea.
Kaity Farrell
I guess it depends on how much you are making. You will most likely use the batch within 6 months. That said I’ve had some stored for a whole year and had no issues with spoilage. Vinegar doesn’t really go bad.
Gwen Thomas
Can you add echinacea?
Kaity Farrell
Yes! Any herbs you like to work with!
Alison
What happens if I’ve left it for 6 months without straining it in a dark place
Kaity Farrell
Look for signs of spoilage – sight and smell. It most likely is ok, since vinegar preserves it. But do what you feel comfortable with.
Bridgette
I just made this recipe and I can’t wait to try it in a few weeks. Question, should I put a glass weight ontop of the ingredients to keep them submerged in the vinegar? Or does it not matter if ingredients float around on the top? Also, with the lid sealed, do I need to burp the jar at all in the 2 weeks?
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for your questions! The ingredients should be covered with vinegar, but you shouldn’t need a weight to submerge them. Once they soak up the vinegar they should sink instead of float. It is not necessary to burp the jar in my experience.
Marsha
Hi! I made two mason jars of your fire cider recipe in October of 2024. I opened them each once and used a little bit of them and then resealed them and other than that have kept them in a very cool and dark place since then. I should have strained them and refrigerated them then, but I got lazy and they are still sitting in the jars (unstrained) now several months later. My question is, is it still good? I know your description says I don’t need to refrigerate it but I am unclear if it is an issue that it is 6 months old and I never strained it and also that I opened it and poured some out and then resealed it. If you think it is ok, what you recommend straining it and refrigerating it at this point? Thanks for the help!
Kaity Farrell
Thanks for your question! Do a sight and smell test – are there any visible impurities or mold? Does it smell like vinegar or does it have a rancid smell? If it smells like vinegar and looks like vinegar (remember it could have a mother forming in it – which is natural for raw apple cider vinegar and ok to see) you should be ok to strain and use it. There will usually be sediment that falls to the bottom of the jar and that is ok. You shouldn’t have to refrigerate it but there’s no harm in doing so.