Looking for a delicious way to preserve the flavor of peak-season strawberries? Say hello to the old-fashioned shrub — an irresistible sweet-tart syrup made by infusing fresh fruit in vinegar and sugar. Traditionally used to flavor sparkling water or cocktails, this tangy refresher is making a well-deserved comeback. A splash of strawberry shrub turns a glass of seltzer into something special, and it’s just as welcome in a brunch cocktail as it is on a warm afternoon.
Start your shrub when strawberries are at their juiciest, and in about a week you’ll have a ruby-hued syrup that captures summer in a bottle. We love to keep it going with a second infusion—much like a sourdough starter—adding more fruit, vinegar, and sugar as needed to enjoy it all season long.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups organic strawberries* or (other berries such as raspberries or blackberries), washed, quartered and lightly crushed
2 cups sugar
2 cups red wine vinegar
METHOD:
Place berries or fruit in a large mason jar. Cover with sugar and stir.
Place plastic lid on the jar and store in the refrigerator until juice exudes from fruit and starts to combine with sugar to form syrup. Maceration may take a few hours or it may need a day or so. Turn the jar several times to combine fruit and sugar.
Add red vinegar to the jar and shake gently to combine. Store in refrigerator. There may be some residual sugar at the bottom (which is okay). Shake and invert jar several times each day to combine sugar over the next week.
Strain spent fruit from syrup. Pour syrup through a funnel into a clean bottle or jar and store in the refrigerator.
To serve, add a few tablespoons to an ice-filled glass and fill with carbonated water. Add a splash of strawberry shrub to green iced tea for added flavor or use in vodka cocktails.
