A sweet, acidic, flavour-loaded mixer made of fruit, sweetener and vinegar to be enjoyed with still water or soda, or used in various mixed drinks and salad dressings. With the optional addition of aromatic spices and herbs, this sweet-and-sour infused syrup does a much better job at quenching thirst than pure water. This is by far my favourite way to rehydrate after exercise or on hot summer days!
What on earth is a shrub? No, it’s not a small tree or bush! In those days before refrigeration, shrubs were a practical drink that helped preserve fruit using vinegar and sugar. Thanks to the tart taste that causes us to salivate, our dry mouth feels more moist, refreshed and invigorated, making shrubs ideal for summer drinking.
It’s easy to remember the recipe - an equal ratio in volume of fruit, sugar and vinegar. I add a bit less sweetener though when using fruit that is naturally sweet, but keeping this ratio in mind is always a good guideline.
Vinegars are dramatically cooling in nature, and you can play with different vinegars to complement different fruit. I like to use organic unpasteurized apple cider vinegar for its host of nutrients, enzymes and prebiotics, but balsamic adds nice richness and sweetness to the berry shrubs. Never use the distilled white vinegar in your drinks though… except when cleaning your home.
This summertime version is a tangy and refreshing concentrated syrup with the aromatics of seasonal strawberries and the nourishing qualities of rosehips, hawthorn and ruby hibiscus flowers. Add more or less fresh ginger for that additional kick!
Let’s turn your glass of sparkling water into a refreshing homemade soda!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen), can also just use strawberry tops
- 1/8 cup dried hawthorn
- 1/8 cup dried rosehips
- 1TB dried hibiscus
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey (less or more to taste)
Directions:
1. Chop the strawberries. Add them to a sterilized wide-mouth pint jar. Using a wooden mallet, potato masher or fork, slightly crush the strawberries. Add the dried hawthorn, rosehips and ginger to the jar.
2. Add the vinegars and honey. Shake well. Cover with a non-reactive lid: plastic or a piece of parchment or waxed paper in between the metal lid and the shrub. (Vinegar will corrode a metal canning jar lid.)
3. Infuse for a week in the fridge. Shake gently every day. Strain when done and discard the solids.
4. To serve your shrub: Fill your glass 1/3 with ice. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the shrub and follow with 8 ounces of plain or sparkling water.
5. Store in the fridge in a jar with a non-reactive lid for about 6 months.
Yield: 1.25 cups