Making shrubs is a creative way to use up extra fruit. We were inspired by sampling the house-made shrubs at the award-winning SHED in Healdsburg, California.
Ingredients
1-1/2cupsblackberries- fresh crushed, or frozen and crushed
1cinnamon stick- about 3 inches
1cupcider vinegar
1-1/2cupssugar
½cupwater
Ice cubes
sparkling water
fresh blackberries- reserved, whole, for garnish
Instructions
Place fruit and cinnamon stick in a sterilized pint jar. Bring vinegar just to a boil; pour over fruit, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Center lid on jar; screw on band until fingertip tight. Refrigerate for 1 week.
Strain vinegar mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into another sterilized pint jar. Press solids to extract juice; discard remaining fruit.
Bring sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly. Stir into vinegar mixture; shake well. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
To serve, drink 1-2 tablespoons or add to a glass of ice, top with sparkling water and garnish with fresh blackberries.
Spa Index Kitchen Notes
1 Serving: 2 Tablespoons of Syrup, with carbonated waterCherry-Lime Shrub: Substitute fresh pitted dark cherries for blackberries and 1 strip lime peel for cinnamon stick. Peach-RosemaryShrub: Substitute chopped peeled fresh peaches for blackberries and a 2-in. sprig of rosemary for the cinnamon stick. Blueberry-Lemon Shrub: Substitute fresh blueberries for blackberries and a 1 strip lemon peel for the cinnamon stick. Strawberry-Basil: Substitute chopped fresh strawberries for blackberries and 4 large basil leaves for the cinnamon stick.
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