Neither Too Sweet Nor Too Sour
Shrubs are the answer to excess, in more ways that one
Summer fruit is wonderful, but there is one problem: it feels like it all lands at once. With the short growing season where I live the problem is all the more acute and rather cruel - a tantalizing glimpse of all that could be possible if only the sunshine’s warmth weren’t chased away by the fall’s first frost.
My ancestors had the same issue. A heap of summer bounty combined with a short time in which to get it canned, salted, dried, pickled, smoked, or heaved into the root cellar made for busy seasons. My ancestors also frequently made their own medicines from herbs, barks, and berries that they gathered during the growing season, producing a array of tonics, tinctures, and cordials of supposed medicinal value to fight the charmingly-named but unpleasant illnesses like consumption, quinsy, biliousness and scrumpox.
But medicinal herbs (or the ones that work anyway) are often unpalatable, so the ancestors cleverly combined them with sugar and fruit to mask the bitterness. Add some vinegar as a preservative and you have shrub - a syrup that defies the excesses of sweetness, sourness and bitterness by bringing them into balance. It’s delicious on a hot summer day and refreshing in a way that cloyingly sweet drinks never are.
Over the years there have been several similar preparations known as shrub, but the one we’re talking about is the descendent the one I describe above, the one that gained new appreciation over the last decade as a component of hipster craft cocktails. It’s sometimes referred to as “drinking vinegar”, a moniker that gives me heartburn to even consider. I’ll stick with “shrub”, a delightful derivative of the Arabic sharāb that means “to drink”.
Mix a little shrub with some soda water and you’ve got a delicious thirst quencher that will have you forget all about lemonade. A little gin or vodka is fair game for a more adult beverage, and if you really want to show off you can break out the Prosecco.
Shrub couldn’t be easier to make, uses ingredients you probably have around, and is perfect for lazy summer days - there’s really not much “doing”. They are a great way to use excess fruit (especially the stuff that’s a little past prime or got squished on the drive back from the pick-your-own patch) and are yet another great way to use your creativity to make something that’s uniquely you.
And yeah…. it’s another ratio recipe, wouldn’t you know it?
If you have half a pound of fruit, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of vinegar you can have shrub. It takes a few days but it’s worth the wait.
Want to give shrub a try?
The Gear:
Two bowls
Spoon
Fine mesh strainer
Clean dish towel
Measuring cups
Covered container (like a glass jar with lid)
The Ingredients:
Half a pound (give or a take) of chopped/mashed fruit
Aromatics (optional, but recommended. See below.)
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup of vinegar (red or white wine, or apple cider)
The Technique:
Toss your fruit in a bowl then add sugar and stir to combine. I’m using rhubarb because, well, that’s what I have. Firm fruit (like rhubarb) should be chopped to small pieces. Softer fruit like berries can be lightly mashed.
Add any aromatics you’d like that play nice with your fruit. I’ve added some sliced and smashed ginger (about a thumb-sized piece). I also added the prunings from my madly-growing lemon verbena plant (not pictured)
Cover with the dishtowel and let sit on the kitchen counter for 2-3 days. If you’re concerned about mold you can do this in the fridge, but unless your kitchen is exceptionally warm and prone to mold it should be fine.
After 2 or 3 days the sugar will have drawn moisture from the fruit (maceration) and combined to make a sweet syrup.
Strain the syrup into a new bowl, pressing on the solids to squeeze. You can save the fruit solids and use them to top ice cream, yogurt, or for baking.
Stir the vinegar (I used apple cider) into the fruit syrup. Pour into clean container and cover and refrigerate for at least a day to mellow out.
And you’ve got shrub! It will keep in the fridge for at least a week, if you can resist. A glass, a few tablespoons of shrub (to taste), and a pour of soda water is all you need for a unique and refreshing drink.
Once you have the basic idea you can get creative with the ingredients. Swapping the white sugar for brown will send your shrub in a caramel direction, which might be really interesting with fruit like apples or peaches. Playing with the type of vinegar can also change up your shrub - white vinegar would be too harsh, but how about unseasoned rice vinegar, coconut vinegar, or even champagne vinegar? Balsamic would be a nice in a strawberry shrub, though you might want to use a few tablespoons along with a wine vinegar base.
And you can go crazy when it comes to your aromatics. Seriously, the sky is the limit. Star anise with orange. Lavender with blueberry. Basil with peaches. Watermelon and lime with mint. Tear open a few hibiscus tea bags and throw them in with some raspberries. If it sounds like it will work it probably will.
Shrub works because it’s a cure for excess - an excess of fruit, excess of heat, and excess of either sweetness or tartness. It’s a way turn the ordinary into something a bit extraordinary and make something that’s all your own.