How to Make a Shrub Drink

A shrub drink is an easy and refreshing drink made with vinegar and fruit! To drink in a cocktail or without alcohol.

Here’s a fruity and refreshing drink that everyone should try at least once: the shrub! Acting like a cocktail or mocktail, this sweet and sour drink combines a fruity vinegar syrup with a lemonade. This historic drink has become popular with bars, restaurants and home cooks in recent years because it is so refreshing and ripe for endless variations. It’s easy to make a bush drink at home: you only need 2 days and a little fruit, vinegar and sugar. That makes a killer cocktail and just as killer without the alcohol!

what is a shrub

Shrub is a drink made from a syrup of fruit vinegar and sparkling water, either as a soft drink or with alcohol to make a cocktail. The drink dates back to 17th-century England, where vinegar was used to preserve berries and other fruits. Shrubs became popular in America in the 19th century. The typical method was to pour vinegar over the berries and let the mixture ferment for a few days, then add sugar or honey and reduce the mixture to a syrup.

Shrubs went out of fashion after the invention of refrigeration, but they are growing in popularity today. They’re on the menus of American bars and restaurants, where bartenders often have their own flavors and mixes.

Make the bush syrup

After enjoying a basil bush on a recent evening, we were inspired to try our hand at making bushes. It turns out to be incredibly simple and easily customizable depending on what ingredients you have on hand. Here is the basic process:

• Mix equal parts sugar and vinegar. We love the red wine vinegar flavor here, but you can also use apple cider vinegar, champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar. Stay away from white vinegar (it’s way too strong) or balsamic vinegar (also too strong). You can add a dash of balsamic vinegar to wine or apple cider vinegar if you like the taste.
• Chop and puree the fruit, then add to the vinegar. Use equal amounts of sugar and vinegar. Here you can get creative! We used blueberries here and gently mashed them before adding them to the vinegar mixture. Other ideas? Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, peaches, pears, or plums would work well here.
• Add herbs or spices as you like. If desired, add any herbs you have on hand or whole spices. Some ideas are rosemary, thyme, mint, sage, cardamom pods, peppercorns, star anise, or cinnamon sticks.
• Refrigerate for 2 days, then strain. This allows the flavors to fully penetrate the syrup. Pass through a fine sieve after 2 days.

How to make a shrub drink (mocktail).

Do you have your bush syrup? Now you can make a shrub drink! One good thing about a shrub is that it’s as good as a cocktail and a mocktail (we think). Mixing syrup with bubbles makes an incredibly refreshing, tangy and sweet drink. Here’s what to do:

• Add 1 ounce of tree syrup and 3 ounces of sparkling water to a glass. You can mix it right in the jar! 1 ounce equals 2 tablespoons when measuring with tablespoons.
• Mix well! If you don’t stir well and drink through a straw, you can get a surprisingly vinegary first sip (happened to us). Make sure it’s fully integrated as a drink.
• Garnish. Add ice and garnish with fresh berries and herbs.

How to make a shrub cocktail

A shrub cocktail is a fun and refreshing way to make a summer drink. It’s great for parties or holidays because you can make a big pot of syrup ahead of time. The following recipe makes 1 ½ cups of treacle, enough for 12 glasses. How to prepare a cocktail of shrubs:

• Add 1 ounce of hive syrup, 1½ ounces of gin or aquavit, 1 teaspoon of plain syrup, and 2 ounces of sparkling water to a glass. The flavors are great with gin, although you can use vodka as well. We also like it with aquavit, a Scandinavian distillate. We also found that the flavors could use a little more sweetness for the cocktail version: you can use plain syrup or maple syrup.
• Mix well! Mix well to ensure the syrup is fully incorporated into the drink.
• Garnish. Add ice and garnish with fresh berries and herbs.

Fruitier drinks

Do you like mixing specialty drinks? Here are some other fun cocktails and mocktails that are perfect for summer:

This shrub drink recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.