Simmered Fruit Shrubs (Drinking Vinegars)

Makes 3 cups

You can store shrubs in the fridge covered for between 1-2 years!

Ingredients

For the Cherry Shrub

  • 2 cups cherries, pitted & halved
  • 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar*

For the Cherry Shrub Bomb Cocktail

  • ice cubes
  • 2-3 tbsp cherry shrub
  • 1 oz gin
  • seltzer water to fill
  • cherry for garnish

How-to

Make Cherry Shrub

  1. Combine cherries, sliced pepper, and sugar in a saucepan
  2. Heat and stir over medium until sugar is melted and begins to boil
  3. Remove from heat and purée in a food processor until smooth
  4. *Strain into a measuring cup. Depending on how much liquid your fruit yields (will depend on water content of fruit and time simmering), add an additional 1/3 portion of vinegar. Lynne's simmered fruit yielded 2 cups of liquid, so she added 1 cup of apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine
  5. Refrigerate until cold

Make Cherry Shrub Bomb Cocktail

  1. Combine all ingredients in a glass filled with ice
  2. Stir to combine
  3. Garnish with a cherry

Other Flavor Suggestions

Get creative with your fruit shrubs — there is no wrong or right combination. Here are some other fruits and flavors that work well with this technique: grapes, plums, and currants . Kick things up a notch by simmering some fresh herbs in with your fruit mixture!