I recently stumbled on this recipe for Sparkling Strawberry Shrub from The Whole Serving. And I knew I had to try it. And not just because I had a half flat of strawberries in the fridge a friend gave me. It intrigued me.
A "shrub", you ask? Say what now? For those of you who've never heard of a shrub before, like me, it is a fruity sweet tart syrup added to drinks. It was popular in colonial times as a way to preserve fruit without refrigeration. Kind of like Rumtopf, without the alcohol.
It is a kin to the simple syrup except a shrub is made with vinegar to give it a pleasant tartness. It can be added to cold water, sparkling water or iced tea for a great summer refresher, mixed with alcohol for a more adult beverage, or ... well when you get to the bottom of the post you'll see two interesting ideas I came up with for it.
How to make the Shrub
To make it you macerate fruit in an equal amount of sugar (example, for 2 cups fruit use 2 cups sugar).
Let it sit for a day or more until it gets nice and syrupy then strain the fruit
Finally, mix the strained syrup with apple cider vinegar and let it sit for at least a week.
The key is to let it sit and mellow for at least a week. Initially it will be overly sugary and overly tart from the vinegar. You will think I am looney to recommend you drink straight apple cider vinegar laced with sugar if you try it too soon. But, once it sits the flavors blend beautifully. Tart and sweet with a nice strawberry flavor.
I made it just as Celeste recommends. The next time I try it though, I will experiment with different fruits and/or different vinegar and maybe even throw in some herbs too:
- peaches and raspberries in champagne vinegar,
- strawberries and lavender in white wine or apple cider vinegar,
- blueberries and basil
- watermelon and honey
What I made with Strawberry Shrub
To make this drink, all I did was add a tablespoon or two to some plain old tap water. Very nice on a 90 degree April day with next to no humidity.
I also mixed it with an equal part of oil as a salad dressing for my mostly homegrown salad (everything but the onions)
As always with the Made It Loved It series, I am sending you to the direct source for the recipe: The Whole Serving.
Have you ever made or had a shrub before? What fruit/vinegar combination would you use? What would make with the shrub? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Carlee
Doesn't that look refreshing? I just love it when the berries are fresh again. I'll have to make this! Yummed and pinned!
Audrey
Here in California it is prime strawberry season. But I will be sure to make it with other fruit soon. Thanks for coming by.
Charlene Asay
This sounds amazing. I will have to pin for later for sure! This will be great for the hot summer days
Audrey
Thanks, Charlene. It was great during the hot spell last week.
Jess Powell (Babi a Fi)
This sounds gorgeous - especially with the ice cream! π #FridayFrivolity
Audrey
It was amazing with the ice cream, sweet and tart and creamy.
Marilyn Lesniak
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe at the #RecipeSharingParty! I hope to see you next week. Pinned and Yummed. Please visit #OverTheMoon on Sunday or #ThursdayFavoriteThings for more sharing fun! Don't forget to Comment your link #'s so I can be sure to visit and you get a chance to be featured!
Audrey
Thanks!
Quirky Homemaker
That sounds really interesting! I tweeted it out. At first, I was like. . .that's a lot of sugar! I bet it tastes amazing, though. I love the idea of tartness from the vinegar. Hope you have a great week!
Audrey
I thought so too, but you don't drink it straight only about a tablespoon in a cup of water.
sue
Well I've learnt something new today - I now know what a shrub is and it seems so versatile. It has a lot of sugar so for me it might be too sweet but then the tartness of the vinegar will add a different flavour dimension. Thanks for sharing with us at Over the Moon.
Audrey
The sugar was needed for preservation back in the day, but I assume if you put it in the fridge you can cut back on it or use another sweetener. But you only use about a tablespoon per drink which reduces it quite a bit.