Any-Berry Shrub (2024)

FAQs

What is a shrub in a co*cktail? ›

In a nutshell, shrubs are a vintage mixer combining plants, sugar and vinegar. They offer a change from the usual Lemons and Limes used to add acidity to a drink but they are a world away from sugary, over-sweet juices.

Filled and tightly sealed in a jar, shrubs last about 6 months in the refrigerator if used sparingly. With more frequent use, similar to other condiments that are kept refrigerated, shrubs last 6-8 weeks.

The sugar slowly draws the juices out of the fruit and makes a syrup. You strain that off the fruit and mix the resulting syrup with vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar is the most common base for shrubs, and herbs and spices are often added to create interesting flavor combinations. This sweet, acidic mixer can be enjoyed with still water or soda or used in various mixed drinks. You can buy premade shrubs or make them yourself.

To put it plainly, a shrub is a combination of vinegar, sugar, and fruit—typically in a 1:1:1 proportion (though it can get far more complex, if you so choose). You combine all three ingredients, and let it sit for 2 days or more. Then you strain, and you've got yourself a shrub, baby.

Strange name, I know, but it comes from the Arabic sharab – “to drink” (“Sherbet” and “syrup” also come from this Arabic root). Shrubs are concentrated fruit-infused vinegar syrups.

Shrubs are vinegar-based, which means they have a very long shelf life. We say that our shrubs are good by two years from production time. They will last longer, and it's not harmful to enjoy them after the “good by” date, but the flavors might change and the color won't be as bright over time.

Cherry & Thyme Classic Shrub

Cherries carry with them powerful antioxidants such as anthocyanins and cyanidin. Their power to reduce inflammation aids in arthritis pain relief and post-workout muscle pain.

Shrubs are mixers, which means they're an ingredient in a drink, not something you would normally drink on its own. Luckily, drinking shrubs are versatile, so they pair well with lots of other ingredients. Overall, we recommend using a 1:5 ratio of shrub to another (or several) ingredient(s).

Bitters are made with a pure grain spirit inundated with bittering agents like fruit peels, spices, or funky stuff like bark or cassia. Tinctures act as straight-up botanical, fruit, or vegetable infusions without any bitterness. A shrub adds sugar to fruit juice and uses vinegar to cut the sweetness.

Can you use frozen fruit in a shrub? ›

Although I'm usually a fan of using fresh ingredients, frozen fruit/berries actually work well and sometimes give a little more juice (don't tell!). I combine the shrub with sparkling water to make a nice soda. It can also be used in co*cktails and salad dressing.

What are honey shrubs, you ask? They are simply a spinoff of traditional shrubs – a mixture of honey and vinegar, typically with fruit added. This concoction has been used for centuries as a refreshing drink mixer – for co*cktails and mocktails alike.

You have to be careful when spraying it around certain plants as it may be harmful to some, but when used on those pesky hard-to-kill weeds, they will disappear in two to three days' time. Combine a gallon of white vinegar, one cup of salt, and a couple tablespoons of dish soap to get the job done.

The word shrub can also refer to a co*cktail or soft drink that was popular during America's colonial era, made by mixing a vinegared syrup with spirits, water, or carbonated water.

Switchel is a non-alcoholic and refreshing vinegar-based drink that is thought to have originated in the Caribbean. It was also a popular drink among farmers in the colonies during the 1700s, and was even given the nickname of “Haymaker's Punch” because of this popularity.

A plant that is small to medium in size is known as a shrub. They are woody plants that lack a thick hard trunk and differentiated branches. They have large, broad leaves. Examples of shrubs are rose, henna, lemon, tulsi, jasmine, etc.

shrub, any woody plant that has several stems, none dominant, and is usually less than 3 m (10 feet) tall. When much-branched and dense, it may be called a bush.

A shrub or bush is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple stems and shorter height, less than 6–10 m (20–33 ft) tall.