I’ll give you a little hint, it’s not a bush that you will find in your garden or any kind of growing plant. Instead, think libation. Say what? I’m so lucky to have a fantastic public library just a few blocks from home. Being retired means I can spend hours immersed in one of my favorite activities; perusing the shelves and reading to my hearts content with the muted voices of story time being read to the little ones in the background.
So what exactly is a Shrub? I found out in a recipe book I discovered at the library. Back in the day, Shrubs were a beverage that were the precursor to what we now enjoy and call soda pop. Before Coca Cola was invented the closest beverage to soda was called the shrub. It’s a beverage made with a concentrated sweetened fruit juice, vinegar and spiced seasonings that’s added to carbonated water. Bartenders are reviving shrubs creating colorful cocktails and house made sodas with them. Doesn’t that sound delightful?
When I ran across this recipe for a Strawberry Balsamic Shrub and I instantly knew what I was going to do with the last few strawberries I had hanging out in my fridge. In a couple days they would be getting a little long in the tooth and I would have to get rid of them. I hate wasting food and this shrub recipe was the perfect solution for using up those strawberries in the fridge. Have I piqued your interest? Do you want to learn how to make them? Keep reading to find out how.
Start by slicing the strawberries and place them in a bowl.
Add sugar and stir to coat the strawberries.
Cover and refrigerate overnight until the strawberries release their liquid.
Strain the juice from the strawberries using a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup.
In a small measuring cup combine the apple cider vinegar and the balsamic vinegar.
Pour the balsamic vinegar over the strawberries in the strainer rinsing off any residual sugar from the berries into the strawberry syrup.
Press or squeeze the strawberries with the back of a spoon to remove as much of their liquid as possible.
Add the peppercorns.
Pour the syrup concentrate into a glass jar.
Seal the jar with a lid and shake to combine all the ingredients.
Store in the fridge for a week before using the syrup; shaking the jar each day. The syrup concentrate will keep in the fridge for up to a year.
To serve as a Shrub:
Combine 1-2 ounces of the syrup concentrate with 8 ounces sparkling water, club soda, or seltzer water.
To make an adult cocktail: Add 1 to 2 ounces gin or tequila.
This libation is easily customizable to suit everyones taste. Some may want a jewel bright beverage with serious pucker power while others may prefer a sparkling water with just a fruity vinegary splash; adjust the ratios of syrup concentrate to sparkling water accordingly. For some added punch add gin or tequila to create a delicious adult libation.
While I am definitely not a fan of modern day sodas, I do enjoy this Strawberry Balsamic Shrub very much! Yes there is quite a generous amount of sugar used to make the syrup but I love that you can adjust the amount of syrup when you mix it with sparkling water to suit your tastes. There’s a lot less sugar in a glass of shrub than there is in a can of soda! It’s totally customizable and that leaves you in control of just how sweet and tart you want your drink to be. I know exactly what’s in my glass. No chemical additives or preservatives, and loads less sugar than what you get in a typical can of soda. Gotta love that!!! The syrup keeps for ages in the fridge so you can enjoy a shrub anytime you like. The syrup doesn’t last very long at our house. Good thing summer just started and I’ll be able to make plenty of syrup with all the gorgeous fresh, local grown California strawberries in my area.
Strawberry Balsamic Shrub
Ingredients
- 8 oz fresh strawberries, sliced
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar (6% acidity)
- ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine the strawberries and sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight or until the strawberries release their liquid.
- Strain the juice from the strawberries using a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup.
- In a measuring cup combine the apple cider vinegar and the balsamic vinegar.
- Pour the vinegars over the strawberries in the strainer rinsing off any residual sugar from the berries into the strawberry syrup.
- Press or squeeze the strawberries with the back of a spoon to remove as much of their liquid as possible.
- Pour the syrup concentrate into a glass jar and add the peppercorns.
- Seal the jar with a lid and shake to combine all the ingredients.
- Store in the fridge for a week before using the syrup; shaking the jar each day. The syrup concentrate will keep in the fridge for up to a year.
To serve as a Shrub:
- Combine 1 ounce of the syrup concentrate with 4 ounces sparkling water, club soda, or seltzer water.
- For a cocktail add 1 to 2 ounces gin or tequila.
Did You Make This?
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Romans 8:28
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