Summer of Shrub 2.0
Years ago I was at a coffee shop with my friend Nick. On a lark I ordered something on the menu that I had never seen before: a raspberry shrub. It was delicious! (and not a plant). I took a mental note to learn more about them, and when I got home I immediately did nothing. As time passed occasionally the thought would resurface like an itch. What was that drink called again? A shrub? Right, like a bush. I really should look it up. But the moment would pass. I repeated this process of not taking any action for quite some time until one day I was scrolling and the algorithm brought shrubs back to me. In fact it brought them back so often that I became A Guy Who Has Watched Too Many Videos On The Subject.
Three shrubs I made at the beginning of the Summer of Shrub 2.0.
A shrub, I learned, is a mixture of a fruit syrup with an acid, usually vinegar, sometimes fruit juice. The combo is part of what makes it so refreshing. Instead of cloying sweetness, you get a more balanced taste. Shrubs are an acidulated beverage, sometimes called a drinking vinegar, that hit their peak popularity in the American colonial era. You can use them to mix cocktails or add them to sparkling water. Once you make a shrub, you typically let it rest in the fridge for a week or two for the flavors to combine and mellow. After that they’ll keep for months (this was historically one reason to make them–food preservation).
Armed with this knowledge I declared it the Summer of Shrub. Why dip your toe in a hobby when you can dive in? I had more shrubs than I could fit into the fridge. I bullied friends and coworkers into making their own. “Stop trying to make shrub happen!” I imagined naysayers naysaying. But none could be found: everyone else just sipped from a glass I foisted upon them and enjoyed a remarkably refreshing drink.
After taking a summer off, I’m back with the reboot: Summer of Shrub 2.0. This is a more demure edition, enthusiasm tamed by wisdom. You’re interested in trying some shrubs of your own? Oh sure, I’d be happy to share some tips.
If you’re getting started, two recipes I recommend are Christina Chaey’s Any-Berry Shrub or Michael Dietsch’s Cold-Processed Shrub at Serious Eats. In typical Serious Eats fashion, Michael’s recipe has background on what shrubs are, the various types, techniques, and more. Michael also wrote the book on shrubs. Naturally, I bought it. A few of my faves are the Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar Shrub and the Blackberry-Lime Shrub.
I really love Rebekah Peppler’s Sweet Bay-Peppercorn Shrub. It’s the backbone of a convincing non-alcoholic French 75. It has a lovely citrus + botanical flavor.
You absolutely do not need additional equipment to make shrubs–you almost certainly have everything you need in your kitchen now. But! I would hate to pass up an opportunity to recommend Crew Supply’s bottles. I keep my shrubs in them and they’re lovely.
As we hit the midpoint of summer, there’s still plenty of time to make shrubs (and make shrub happen).