Mise en Place - Recipes

[Summer Drink] Shrubs by Sam

Summertime is here! Beaches, hot days, and good food are sure to follow as well! There are a million recipes people will shove down your gullet while saying it is the best of the best of the summer, but let's be honest, most of them are either specific to a region since summer crops are not universal, or just plain expensive. No, we shall veer off the food wagon for a bit and head straight into the sweet ambrosia that are the summer drinks. And no drink better encapsulates the summer than...vinegar?

That's right! We are talking about Shrubs, a middle-eastern medieval drink, used by sailors to fence off scurvy, but have gone off in recent years thanks to their fizzy, tart flavor. There are even scholars who say that shrubs were the first soda-like drink! And they are dirt cheap to make and even a baby could do it. In fact, it's a great cooking activity that you can do with the kiddos!

So, what is a shrub? Well, a shrub is a syrup made from vinegar, sugar, and mashed fruit, macerated in the fridge, and combined with water/seltzer to make a fruity, super healthy drink! It even does wonders to your gut flora. You can do it with pretty much any fruit you want, and even vegetables and herbs can be added for extra pizzaz.

Let us start the recipe!

[photo: peach shrub drink]

Ingredients:

1 Pound of unpeeled, smashed, or chopped fruits or vegetables of your liking. I love me some oranges, but you can use strawberries, apricots, limes, rhubarb, whatever.

¾ cup of sugar.

¾ cup of white vinegar. You can also use other types of vinegar, such as apple cider or white wine.

Instructions: 

1) Mix fruit, sugar, and vinegar in a glass or other non-plastic bowl, breaking apart or mashing the fruit to bring out its juices. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours up to 2 weeks. Also add any herbs like mint, rosemary, nutmeg, or whatever you desire.

2) Stir the mixture at least once a day. The shrub can be strained and used at this point, but it will take on more of the characteristics of the fruit if it sits for a few days. When ready to use, stir well to make sure sugar is dissolved, then strain using a fine sieve, pressing the solids to get all of the juice.

3) Pour the mixture into a clean Mason jar or funnel into a glass bottle with a stopper or cork.

4) To prepare a drink, add 1 part shrub to 2 or 3 parts seltzer or ginger beer and serve over ice.

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And there you have it! A delicious beverage on the go! I always have a jar of shrub syrup made with oranges and apple cider vinegar and serve it with ginger beer and a dash of nutmeg. 

Delicious. Go nuts! 

- Sam_le_fou