Fruit Shrubs Make Attractive Cocktails or Mocktails

Fruit shrubs, a delicious vinegar-based syrup known as “drinking vinegars,” make attractive cocktails or mocktails for the holidays. They also make a unique hostess gift. Fruit Shrubs date back to ancient times. In the 15th century, Europe used shrubs as a medicinal tonic to help prevent scurvy.  Later in the 17th and 18th centuries, shrubs were used to make alcoholic punches that were popular in English pubs and later adapted by colonists who used an English technique of preserving fruits and vegetables in vinegar in the late summer or fall.  In the 19th century, the drink, which is simultaneously sweet and tart, was often spiked with brandy or rum.

Shrubs are easy to create, requiring only three ingredients; fruit, sugar, and vinegar. As a DIY project, shrubs are a unique holiday gift and can be combined with almost any favorite alcohol, champagne, or seltzer water.  Simply tie a beautiful colored recyclable ribbon or bow along with the recipe and maybe even a book on shrubs.  Feel free to follow the recipes below or create new ones by experimenting. Michael Dietschs’ book Shrubs An Old-Fashioned Drink for Modern Times is an excellent resource for making shrubs. 

The three recipes below are from the Mother Earth Living Nov./Dec.2016 magazine, Drinking Shrubs.

If you prefer to purchase your shrubs, Tait Farm Foods make delicious ones.

Instructions:

1. Put apples in a nonreactive (Stainless steel, ceramic, glass, and metal cookware) container with rosemary. Add sugar and honey, and stir gently to coat the fruit. Cover the container with a clean dishtowel and allow it to sit on the counter for three days.
2. Strain syrup into a measuring cup, and discard solids. (Don’t throw those solids away, save them for topping ice cream or use in cobblers.) Combine syrup with an equal amount of apple cider vinegar.
3. Pour mixture into a sterilized, narrow-neck jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Instructions:

1. Combine cranberries, ginger, lemon zest, and sugar in a nonreactive container, mashing cranberries or pulsing gently with a blender and stirring to coat everything evenly. Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to sit on the counter for three days.  Stir daily.
2. Strain syrup into a measuring cup, and discard solids.  Combine syrup with an equal amount of champagne vinegar.
3. Pour mixture into a sterilized, narrow-neck jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Instructions:

1. Put pears in a nonreactive container with cardamom pods.  Add sugar and stir gently to coat the fruit. Cover the container with a clean dish towel and allow it to sit on the counter for three days.  Stir daily.
2. Strain syrup into a measuring cup, and discard solids. (Don’t throw those solids away, save them for topping ice cream or use in cobblers.) Combine syrup with an equal amount of apple cider vinegar and a splash of aged balsamic vinegar.
3. Pour mixture into a sterilized, narrow-neck jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Recipe compliments of OPL Naturalist and Home Chef Yvonne Dwyer