A strawberry shrub is a concentrated fruit syrup that is mixed with vinegar. Scroll down to learn how to make a strawberry shrub!
If you have never heard of a shrub or drinking vinegar, don’t worry – neither had I. I first heard of a strawberry shrub referenced in ‘Dirty John: The Bettty Broderick Story’. While the series was captivating, I was most intrigued by this drink. It left me wondering, why isn’t anyone talking about this vinegared syrup mixer? Possibly because it was created in the 17th century as a way to preserve fruit. Given the reference in the above-mentioned series, I imagine that the shrub made a resurgence in the 1980s.
Before honing down a recipe, I did a lot of research on this drink. One of my big takeaways is that you can make a shrub out of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. There is more that one way to make this drinking vinegar. There are quick ways to create this vinegar that require a stove top and a bit of cooling time. However, I was most fond of the process where the sugar just sits and ferments in the fruit, veggies, herbs and spices of your choice.
Living in North Carolina has taught me to honor seasonal produce. Since strawberry season just started, making a shrub out of this fruit was a no brainer. Even if this strawberry shrub is easy to make, you will need a little bit of patience. Keep in mind that the sugar and the fruit are the only two items doing the work.
Once the fruit has fermented for 48 hours, this is where the process gets interesting. The concentrated fruit juice that is extracted from the sugar and fruit mixture is combined with equal parts vinegar to create this most exciting mixer. In my research, most articles shared that apple cider creates a true drinking vinegar. However, there were some other articles that recommend experimenting with champagne vinegar, red wine vinegar and in some cases adding a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the vinegared elixir. Despite the fact that white vinegar can be used for this drink, the consensus is that other vinegars will add more complexity to this drink.
The first time that I experimented with a shrub, I made three pounds of strawberries. I made a large amount to combine half of the concentrated syrup with champagne vinegar and the other half with apple cider vinegar. I used both to create a cocktail. Granting both mixers were delicious, I loved the strawberry shrub with the champagne vinegar. Although the recipe below requires champagne vinegar, apple cider is also a lovely substitute. Now that I have shared some of my experience with this fantastic mixer, let’s get to the step by step process on how to make a strawberry shrub!
How to Make a Strawberry Shrub:
How to Make a Strawberry Shrub, a Step by Step Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb strawberries
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 - 2 ½ cups champagne vinegar
Instructions
- Clean the strawberries. Remove the stems and quarter the berries.
- Place the strawberries in a container like an airtight Tupperware. Combine the strawberries with two cup of sugar. Cover the Tupperware with the airtight lid and store in the refrigerator.
- The strawberry and sugar should ferment in the refrigerator for 48 hours. During these two days, occasionally stir the strawberry and sugar mixture. The more the mixture sits, the more juice will be released.
- Once the fruit has fermented for 48 hours, carefully remove the fruit from the syrup. Press the fruit gently to release any excess juice.
- Once you have removed the fruit, measure the amount of concentrated juice that has been released from the fruit. One pound of fruit will release 2 - 2 ½ cups of juice. Combine equal parts of the Champagne Vinegar with the fruit juice to create the delicious mixer. Some of the sugar will settle at the bottom of the fruit juice, so make sure to combine well. Tip: If you would like your shrub to be on the sweeter side, consider adding ¼ to ½ of a cup less vinegar. Now your strawberry shrub is ready to create the drink of your choice! Store the remaining shrub in a well sealed container, like a Mason jar, in the refrigerator.
Tools used in this strawberry shrub recipe:
I hope that you enjoy this strawberry shrub recipe as much as I do. I found the fermenting process fascinating and the final product was phenomenal. Once you have prepared the shrub, you are ready to roll. 2 ounces of the drinking vinegar can be used to create a mocktail or cocktail. For a simple mocktail, combine one cup of ice, 2 ounces of strawberry shrub and 5 ounces of club soda or sparkling water.
Cocktails with this vinegar mixer are quite exciting. Although several shrub cocktails use Gin and Vodka, I love to go against the grain when it comes to recipes. That said, I have a fantastic Strawberry Bourbon Cocktail that is made using this strawberry shrub recipe. Click here for the cocktail recipe.
If you enjoy strawberry forward cocktails and want to make the most of this year’s strawberry season, try my Strawberry Frosé Recipe. Click here for the step by step recipe.
I’m definitely going strawberry picking and fingers crossed, I’ll try this recipe! 🥰
I have two cocktails coming that I will share that uses this mixer! Got to make the best out of strawberry season.