Shrub

Style

A shrub drink is a syrup of fruit, sugar and vinegar, usually mixed with soda water over ice.

Also called: drinking vinegar

Base ratio: 1:1:1 fruit, sugar and vinegar, by weight
Maceration: 24 to 48 hours in the fridge
Vinegar strength: At least 5% acidity
Serve: 1.5 oz (44 ml) shrub to 4 oz (120 ml) soda water
Formula: 1.5 oz (44 ml) shrub (equal weights fruit, sugar and vinegar) topped with 4 oz (120 ml) soda water, over ice

What shrub means

Sharp and sweet at once, this syrup gets its bite from vinegar. The vinegar brings the sour, and the fruit and sugar bring the flavor. The fruit sets the taste, so a strawberry, raspberry or blackberry shrub each tastes different.

A common belief is that a shrub is fermented, like kombucha. It is not. It is fruit and sugar preserved with vinegar. Because the recipe starts with equal weights of fruit and sugar, the drink is sweet, so count that sugar when you build the rest of the drink. A shrub and soda is a simple mocktail when you skip the spirit.

The word comes from the Arabic sharāb, meaning drink, the same root as sherbet and syrup. Apple cider, white wine, red wine, rice or Champagne vinegar work well, and plain white vinegar can be too harsh.

How to make a shrub

Make the syrup first, then mix 1.5 oz (44 ml) of it with 4 oz (120 ml) soda water over ice.

1.Chop the fruit and toss it with the same weight of sugar.
2.Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 24 to 48 hours, until a syrup forms.
3.Strain out the fruit, then whisk in the same weight of vinegar with at least 5% acidity.
4.Serve 1.5 oz (44 ml) over ice with 4 oz (120 ml) soda water, or use it as the sour in a cocktail.
5.Keep it in the fridge, and throw it out if it shows mold or starts to ferment.

Shrub compared

KombuchaKombucha is a fermented tea. A shrub gets its tang from vinegar, not from fermentation.
CordialA cordial is a sweetened fruit syrup or liqueur. A shrub adds vinegar, so it tastes sharp as well as sweet.
Oleo saccharumOleo saccharum is citrus oil drawn out with sugar, with no vinegar. A shrub is fruit, sugar and vinegar.

Examples

Strawberry shrub
Raspberry shrub
Blackberry shrub
Shrub and soda

Related terms

Ingredients

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Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.