Shrubs! Our newest obession. They’re sour and tangy with a touch of sweetness. Born out of the colonial times shrubs came out of the need for preservation using leftover fruit scraps or overripe fruit. By adding sugar, vinegar and time what seemed like the simplest of materials jammed into a jar ultimately became these amazing drinking vinegars. Remember how I mentioned the colonial times? Well during the colonial era the people were making shrubs and wanted to export them but, didn’t want to be taxed. So they would make the shrubs, put them in wooden barrels and bury them in the ocean until they could smuggle them. (Gotta love a good historical fun fact!) What we think is amazing about shrubs is the waste nothing approach and that they are good alone, mixed in seltzer, for a good mocktail or a good cocktail! Here’s our step by step for making your own tasty shrubs.
Pineapple Jalapeno Shrub
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 fresh jalapeño chopped
1 cup sugar or 1/2 cup honey
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
Add your ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
While cooking the mixture mash it to release more juice from the fruit. Another option is to food process or put in the mixture into a vitamix.
Once the fruit becomes more of a pulp and the juices thicken, take off the stove and strain into a bottle or jar.
Let sit out in a cool dark place to ferment for 5-7 days (you can go longer)
Put in the fridge for up to two months
Use 2 tablespoons per drink with seltzer water or add vodka too for cocktail
