Shrubs are concentrated drinking vinegars blended with fruit and sugar to create bright, acidic syrups used in beverages and food. The vinegar element provides a punchy, pungent backbone balanced by fruit and sweetness. Historical antecedents such as posca show drinking vinegars predate refrigeration. Shrubs are versatile across cocktails and cooking, adaptable to many ingredients and flavor combinations like rhubarb with star anise, watermelon with basil, or spiced apple with bourbon. Shrubs are easy to make at home and can offer perceived health benefits due to vinegar. Revival by craft cocktails has driven modern experimentation and menu inclusion.
The shrub may be a vintage drink, but its taste is as fresh and modern as it gets. In recent years, shrubs have taken the craft cocktail movement by storm, showcasing familiar flavors in a punchy - and pungent - style. That's due to the vinegar portion of the drink's bill, which is notable, all the while being in perfect proportion to the shrub's more accessible components of fruit and sugar.
Still, what makes the shrub so amazing is that it's actually good for you. Since shrubs can be used in a variety of applications, from cocktails to cooking, and can be made from an array of ingredients, there's really nothing standing in the way between you and your next shrub. Also, it's super easy to make from the comfort of your own kitchen.
As a bartender with years of experience, I can admit that I only got hip to the magic of the shrub once the craft cocktail world had revived it, and since my palate loves anything acidic, I quickly made up for lost time. While experimenting with flavor combinations at home, some of my summertime favorites were rhubarb and strawberry spiced with star anise as well as the celestial combination of watermelon and basil.
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