The practice of making shrubs and drinking vinegars has been around for decades, but in the last several years, there has been an explosion of bottled products available in stores, and menu offerings in bars and restaurants. For many DIYers and chefs alike, shrubs are a great way to preserve the harvest. Ripe, or even overripe fruit is macerated with sugar for a day or two, then added to vinegar and added seasonings and allowed to ferment for several days. The result is a tangy yet sweet syrup that can be added to water or cocktails.
Aaron Adams, Chef and owner of Farm Spirit in Portland, offers several shrubs as part of the plant-based restaurant’s “zero-proof” beverage pairing program. “I was really inspired by a dinner I had at MAKE in Santa Monica a couple of years ago, with Scott Winegard pairing some great juices and kombucha with his tasting. I’ve always loved kefir, kombucha, and fresh juices, and it was exciting to me that we could actually tune beverages exactly to plates we were serving.”
There is anecdotal evidence that shrubs, vinegars, along with other fermented beverages like kombucha relieve a variety of health ailments. At a minimum, they settle the stomach after a rich meal. At Farm Spirit, Adams serves a fennel shrub with kefir. “We make it sort of a palate cleansing, digestif intermezzo mid-meal for this purpose,” he explained. “For us, though, it’s mostly about being delicious. Since we are nearly 100% bioregional in our approach, we don’t use any citrus, so we rely on vinegars more for acidulation. Shrubs, with their sweet-acid and fruitiness are a great stand-in for that.”
Will zero-proof pairings ever beat out wine pairings? “I think in the beginning we were definitely selling a lot more wine pairings, ”said Adams, “But now we’re about even, with couples often ordering one wine pairing and one non-alcoholic pairing and sharing.”
For home cooks interested in giving shrubs a try, Adams suggests sipping some plain, or serving on the rocks with some water or soda to dilute to taste. “One part shrub to four parts water is a good starting point, but everyone has their own preference, and each shrub will be a bit different,” he explained. “Alternatively, you can mix with Aviation or Aria gin, or Medoyeff or Crater Lake vodka to taste, and torn mint leaves.”
Marionberry Shrub, courtesy of Farm Spirit
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1 cup of vinegar (champagne vinegar, or substitute white wine vinegar)
2 cups of marionberries
7-8 peppercorns, 3-4 juniper berries, and 1/16th-1/8th tsp of red pepper flakes (optional)
Combine the fruit and sugar in a clean glass jar and allow to sit and macerate for 24-48 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar and mix well. Or for added flair, throw a couple of juniper berries, black peppercorns, and small pinch of red pepper flakes in the batch. Allow the mixture to sit room temperature away from sunlight, stirring twice a day, and covered with a paper towel and rubber band for 7-10 days or until flavors are well mingled.
Strain the shrub and store in a clean glass container (a quart jar is sufficient for this recipe) with a lid in the refrigerator until ready to use.
