This shrub recipe incorporates the tangy, bitter taste of rhubarb into the drink, giving it a unique kick.
Whether you’re a cocktail connoisseur or abstaining from alcohol, you’ll want to get behind this drinking trend: shrubs.
No, this isn’t about sneaking sips behind the bushes. These popular shrubs are tangy fruit and vinegar syrups — sometimes called drinking vinegars. Both old-school and trendy, shrubs are the rare bar blend that wins over soda sippers as well as the cocktail crowd. Local craft cocktail meccas like the Standard Pour and Proof and Pantry have offered shrubs in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks since opening their doors. Top Knot, Remedy and Cook Hall have jumped into shrubs, too. They share their drink recipes here, so you can make them at home.
Shrubs’ American roots go back to colonial times, when they were created to preserve fruit. Originally, shrubs were aged so long that they fermented, and the resulting syrup was served as a tonic. Most modern versions macerate for a shorter time, yielding unfermented syrups with a good balance of sweet and tangy flavors. These shrubs lend depth and acidity to sodas as well as boozy beverages.
“Shrubs add zip and zest to cocktails,” says barman Brian McCullough, co-owner of the Standard Pour, and among the first to introduce shrubs to Dallas’ cocktail culture.
Making fruit shrubs is easy. You simply macerate muddled fruit in vinegar and sugar. Herbs or spices — like ginger — can be added for a more complex flavor. Most bars make shrubs in large batches to keep on hand for mixing drinks. “Back in the day, the whole point was to make it to last,” McCullough says, noting that a large batch preserved the season’s bounty. He says the shrubs can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four weeks.
RHUBARB SHRUB
DIRECTIONS
- Place rhubarb and sugar in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to macerate for 2 days.
- Position a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl, and pour the mixture through it to remove the solids.
- Combine strained syrup with vinegar. Whisk well to incorporate any undissolved sugar. You may have some sugar clinging to the rhubarb solids in the strainer. If so, set the strainer with the solids over another small bowl. Pour the syrup-and-vinegar mixture over the solids to wash the sugar into the bowl. Repeat as needed.
- Pour syrup-and-vinegar mixture into a clean Mason jar. Cap it, shake it well to incorporate any undissolved sugar, and place in the refrigerator for a week before using.
- Discard the solids or save them for another use.
SOURCE: "Shrubs: An Old Fashioned Drink for Modern Times," by Michael Dietsch ($24.95; Countryman Press)
VARIATIONS
Pickled Negroni
Add 1 ounce gin, 1 ounce Rhubarb Shrub and 1 ounce sweet vermouth to a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel (made by holding a flame over a drink and expressing the oils from the peel, skin-side-down, about 2 inches above the flame). Makes 1 serving.
Gin, Rhubarb Shrub and Soda
Combine 1 1/2 ounces gin and 1 1/2 ounces Rhubarb Shrub in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into cocktail glass and top with Topo Chico sparkling water or club soda, to taste.
SOURCE: Joshua McEachern, bar manager of Proof and Pantry