Blackberry Shrub

 

I had never heard of "shrub" drinks until a couple of years ago. They are a mixture of fruit, vinegar, and sugar that form a concentrated syrup that is then mixed with still or carbonated water, or other liquids. This blackberry shrub is also flavoured with cinnamon and makes a very refreshing drink on a hot summer day. You can mix the drink to your own strength, but 1-2 Tablespoons per glassful is usual. 

Blackberries are not yet ripe here on Vancouver Island, but I had some frozen from last summer and they worked well. I found this recipe in a Taste of Home Make-Ahead magazine. 

Blackberry Shrub

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, crushed

1 cinnamon stick 

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1. Place the fruit and cinnamon stick in a sterilized quart jar. Bring the vinegar just to the boil; pour over the fruit, and screw the lid on tightly. Refrigerate for 2-5 days. 

2. Strain the vinegar mixture through a fine-meshed strainer. Press the fruit to extract as much of the juice as possible. Discard the cinnamon stick and the fruit. 

3. Bring the sugar and water to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar mixture. 

4. Store in a sterilized jar in the fridge for 2 weeks. 

5. To serve, add ice to glass, then 1-2 Tablespoons of syrup, and top with ice water, club soda, or sparkling water. 

Strawberry Lemonade

One of my favourite things to make in the summertime is strawberry lemonade. This is a concentrate and I freeze it for later. It's easy to do and tastes very refreshing.

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

6 cups strawberries, hulled
4 cups fresh lemon juice
6 cups granulated sugar

Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender. I add a little of the lemon juice, if necessary to create some liquid at the beginning.

Place the puree and the sugar in a stainless steel saucepan and gently heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. You don't want to cook the strawberries, just dissolve the sugar.

Once dissolved, remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.That's it! Mix about 1 part concentrate to 1 part water. Or use gingerale, tonic water, or sparkling water. Or even chilled white or rosé wine.