Shrubs

I've been hearing a lot about Shrubs lately. Not the garden variety. The beverage variety. And my curiosity was piqued...

The word Shrub comes from the Arabic word sharab, which literally means to drink. In the dictionary, Shrub is defined as an acid fruit drink that is made with fresh fruit vinegars and cane sugar (and sometimes spices). 

These little concoctions were popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  And now thanks to the designer cocktail movement, they seem to be making a comeback.  And the non-alcoholic varieties are becoming popular alternatives to lemonade and iced tea.

I tried the recipe below and it's actually quite tasty! The syrup can be mixed with sparkling water, champagne or vodka so you can decide how amped up you want your drink to be!

Raspberry Shrub (Non-Alcoholic)

4 cups fresh, organic raspberries, about 16 ounces 

2 cups cider vinegar

2 cups evaporated cane sugar (or granulated sugar) 

cold water

ice

• Place berries in a non-metal bowl or pitcher; add vinegar
• Cover with plastic wrap or lid; refrigerate for 3 to 4 days
• Strain mixture into a saucepan, pressing blackberries to extract all liquid; discard solids then stir in sugar
• Boil 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat and let cool
• Refrigerate in a tightly covered jar or pitcher 

For each serving, combine 1/4 cup of the raspberry concentrate with 1 cup cold water (I used sparkling water); pour over ice in glasses.

Makes enough concentrate for about 12 servings.

This recipe will work with almost any fruit you can find. You can also experiment with adding vanilla bean, basil or thyme.

Enjoy!

From what I've read, his recipe will work for most any fruit you can find. You can also adjust the sugar to meet your needs.