Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
This week's video is about how to make the original soda—the one Americans used to drink before we had Coke and Pepsi and a million other sodas. It's called a shrub, and it’s a delicious probiotic drink that was very popular in the 1700s and early 1800s. Vinegar drinks are also self-preserving, meaning they can sit out without refrigeration for a very long period of time.
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What Exactly Is a Shrub?
The name “shrub” comes from the Arabic word “sharab,” which simply means “drink.” Before refrigerators were around, people needed a way to keep fruit from going to waste at the end of the growing season. Vinegar was one of the best preservatives they had, so they would soak their fruit in vinegar and sweeten it to make a tangy syrup that would last for months.
The syrup was then mixed with water to make a refreshing drink, and it was especially popular with farmers working out in the fields on hot summer days. If that sounds familiar, it's because shrub is a close cousin of switchel, another old-fashioned vinegar drink.
Shrubs eventually fell out of style once refrigeration and store-bought sodas came along, but they've been making a big comeback in recent years. You'll even find them on the menu at some fancy cocktail bars.
This video by Off Grid with Doug and Stacy dives into how to make a shrub, which can also be included as an ingredient in many other homemade drinks including sports drinks, cocktails, mocktails, energy drinks, and homemade sodas.
Making a shrub is incredibly easy to do. First, you will need to gather the following ingredients and items.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of fresh fruit (berries will be the best bet for this recipe)
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar (preferably raw)
- 1 cup of honey (preferably raw)
- Jar (quart size)
- Spoon
- Strainer
- Pitcher
- Drinking Glass
- Ice
- Water
A few notes on the ingredients:
Fruit: Berries are the easiest to work with because they mash up so nicely, but you can use just about any fruit you like. Peaches, plums, cherries, apples, and pears all make wonderful shrubs. This is also a great way to use up fruit that's a little too ripe to eat fresh.
Vinegar: Raw apple cider vinegar is the best choice because it contains the “mother,” which is the cloudy stuff you see floating at the bottom of the bottle. The mother is made up of beneficial bacteria and is where the probiotic benefits of this drink come from. Raw honey adds some good stuff too. If you want to experiment, you can also try white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or a splash of balsamic vinegar for a different flavor.
Honey: Honey can be expensive, so don't worry if you don't have much of it on hand. Plain white sugar works just fine, and it's actually what most people used to make shrubs back in the day. Brown sugar or maple syrup will also work and give your shrub a richer taste. Just keep in mind that honey should never be given to babies under one year old.
Once you have accumulated each of these ingredients, follow these steps.
Instructions
- Mash the fruit together and then place them together in a jar. (A fork or potato masher works great for this.)
- Add vinegar and honey to the jar.
- Use the spoon to mix all of the ingredients together until the honey is completely dissolved.
- Close the jar with a lid.
- Shake the jar vigorously. For an even stronger flavor, you can let the jar sit in the refrigerator for a day or two, giving it a shake every so often.
- Remove the lid from the jar and then pour the mixture through a strainer and into a pitcher. Press down on the fruit with your spoon to get out as much juice as you can.
- Now pour the strained mixture back into your jar.
- Place ice into a drinking glass.
- Take out one-quarter of the mixture from the jar and pour it into a drinking glass.
- Add some water into the mixture in the glass. (Sparkling water works great too if you want something that tastes more like soda.)
- Stir the mixture together again. Give it a taste and add more water if it's too strong.
That’s it! By following the above steps you will have high quality and delicious shrub, and it should be very similar to the same shrub drink that our ancestors used to drink and enjoy hundreds of years ago.
Flavor Ideas to Try
Once you've made your first batch, have some fun experimenting with different combinations. You can add fresh herbs or spices to the jar along with the fruit. Here are a few tasty ideas to get you started:
- Strawberry and basil
- Blackberry and sage
- Blueberry and lemon peel
- Peach and fresh ginger
- Apple and cinnamon
- Raspberry and mint
How to Store Your Shrub
The vinegar and honey help preserve your shrub, but many people like to keep it in the refrigerator anyway because it helps the fruity flavor stay fresh longer. Store it in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid. If you ever notice mold or a strange smell, toss it out and make a new batch.
Other Ways to Use Shrub
Shrub isn't just for drinking! Because it's basically a fruity, sweetened vinegar, you can use it in the kitchen in all sorts of ways. Try whisking it with a little olive oil for a simple salad dressing, using it as a marinade for chicken or pork, or drizzling a berry shrub over vanilla ice cream for a sweet and tangy treat.
One quick tip: vinegar is acidic, which can be hard on your tooth enamel over time. If you drink shrub often, try sipping it through a straw or rinsing your mouth with plain water afterward.
For a more detailed discussion and to see how it's done, check out the video below.
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