Drinking Vinegar, also known as "Shrub"
Monday, March 17, 2014 at 11:01AM
Brook Hurst Stephens

This method takes 1 week, start-to-finish. About 1 hour active time.

Approximate yield: 3 cups

     Drinking Vinegars, also known by some people as shrubs, are simple to make. If you're the creative type, the ability to mix & match fruit, vinegar and sweeteners will probably appeal to you. 

    The Food Lovers Companion definition of shrub says "Colonial-day shrubs were spiked with liquor (usually brandy or rum) but today these fruit juice, sugar and vinegar drinks are usually non-alcoholic. Shrubs are served over ice, with or without soda water."

    Try adding a few tablespoons of Drinking Vinegar to a glass with ice cubes and either soda or water for a really refreshing drink. Shrubs, as these zesty beverages were called by many, were well known in the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries as great thirst quenchers, and were quite refreshing when battling summer heat. You'll discover that Drinking Vinegars can be straight-forward or amazingly complex, and are a fun alternative to fruit juice, soda pop and cocktail mixers.

    To use them as a cocktail mixer, first put ice in a glass, then add a few tablespoons of Drinking Vinegar, a shot of Vodka and then top the glass with club soda. A sprig of mint and a squeeze of lemon or lime are a nice addition too.

Some good combinations:

Apples & Apple Cider Vinegar

Pears & (unseasoned) Rice Vinegar

Pineapple & Distilled White Vinegar

Strawberries & White Balsamic Vinegar 

Experimenting with different types of vinegar, like distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar can yield wildly varying results.(All good!)

 *Use common sense. Organic apples don't need to be peeled. Pineapple needs to be peeled. 

 

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