Shrubs

Shrubs. Not the small, near-to-the-ground woody plant, but the acidulated beverage that is going to be a major trend this summer.

Originating as a means of preserving berries and other fruit in the off-season, a shrub is a mixture of fruit and vinegar. As shrubs developed, the liquid began to be strained off and served as a drink, either on its own or as a mixer in an alcoholic cocktail.

Why haven’t I heard of shrubs? Shrubs fell out of favour with the spread home refrigeration, and have been off the radar for nearly a century, however, they are set to be this season’s star of the drinks scene.

The acidity of shrubs makes them a useful ingredient for those who don’t like overly-sweet drinks. The key to an amazing shrub though is balance. You want the sweet fruit notes to be perfectly balanced by the tart vinegar. You will want a fruit that has loads to flavour: berries or melon and not a lot of natural acid, otherwise it will be just too lip-puckering.

A shrub is intensely refreshing and is an ideal drink to sip during the warm summer months.

At our bar, Out of Office, we will have some delicious shrub-based cocktails on the menu very shortly, so why not drop by and try?