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Home » Recipes » Drinks

How To Make A Berry Shrub and Delicious Shrub Drinks

Published: Mar 27, 2023 · By Lisa Goldfinger · 4 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

Jump to Recipe
Berry shrub drink in a glass tumbler with a garnish on top of a toothpick with three berries and a mint sprig.

A berry shrub has a tangy flavor that is at the same time sweet, acidic and fruity. Shrubs are delicious and refreshing when mixed with seltzer and they add that “je-ne-sais-quoi” taste element to cocktails. For about ten years now, shrubs have been surging in popularity on the craft cocktail scene, but their origin goes back over three hundred years. It’s time we all learned how to make a shrub.

Two berry shrub drinks in glass tumblers with ice and garnished with toothpicks holding raspberries, blackberries and a mint sprigs

My introduction to shrubs - Dry January

Hello everyone. This is Eddie, Lisa’s husband and sometime guest blogger at Panning the Globe. Over the last few months I've become enamored with making berry shrubs and shrub drinks. I'm going to explain why and also share my favorite shrub recipe with you.

I had been hearing about shrubs for years, but had never taken the time to learn much about them despite my longstanding interest in cocktails.

Lisa and I were at a restaurant with friends during “Dry January”, and I ordered a mocktail drink that contained a shrub. I confessed to the table that I didn’t even really know what a shrub was.

Fortunately, one member of our dinner party not only knew what shrubs were; he’d been making them obsessively for years. He shared with me the basics and I spent the next several weeks researching and experimenting with shrub recipes.

One of the things I really love about a shrub is that, just by adding seltzer, it substitutes beautifully for that glass of wine or cocktail you might have otherwise have had. It feels like you are treating yourself to something special. I even go so far as to use garnishes on a weekday night for Lisa and me, because you know, we’re worth it!

Two glass tumblers, each filled with a large ice cube and a berry shrub drink, garnished with a toothpick holding a  sprig of mint, two raspberries and one blackberry

What is a shrub and since when?

A shrub, sometimes called 'drinking vinegar,' is essentially a syrup made from fruit, sugar and vinegar. Other ingredients, such as spices and herbs, can also be used during the infusion process.

Shrubs existed in colonial times in America and are said to date back to 17th century England, when vinegar was used as a preservative for fruits. The word shrub is originally from the Arabic word “sharāb”, which means: to drink.

Here's what you'll need to make a berry shrub

  • Fruit (I use blackberries and raspberries in this recipe)
  • Granulated sugar
  • Vinegar (I use distilled white vinegar)
  • Optional: other aromatics (I use ginger root in this recipe)
Shrub making ingredients laying on a stainless steel countertop: a bag of granulated white sugar, a bottle of white vinegar, a plastic container of organic raspberries and a plastic container of organic blackberries

Variations

The possible combinations of fruit, sugar and various types of vinegar are endless. I love that about a shrub: it allows you to create something that makes your drinks unique in the world!

I experimented with a number of variations before I came upon the shrub recipe I am sharing. I found that keeping the vinegar simple allows the other flavors more room to contribute. I made one recipe with apple cider vinegar and that was essentially all I could taste. But that’s me. I encourage you to explore and if you find a combination you love, please come back and share it with us at Panning the Globe.

A glass mason jar half filled with berry shrub syrup, some ice filled glasses in the background and some herbs and  berries

How to make a berry shrub

The basic process for making a shrub is so easy and takes so little time, it almost feels unfair to other foods and drinks where so much work is required for only half the flavor.

  • Bruise the fruit and mix it thoroughly with the sugar.
  • Let this sit for 24 hours at room temperature. The berries will release their juices.
a large fork pressing down on fresh blackberries and raspberries that are in a plastic container
Bruised fresh blackberries and raspberries in a plastic container
bruised raspberries and blackberries mixed with sugar in a plastic container
fully mixed berries and sugar in a plastic container
  • After 24 hours, strain the resulting berry syrup into a plastic container.
  • Reserve the macerated berries. They're absolutely delicious with yogurt and granola in the morning!
macerated berries with their juices being poured through a small mesh stainer into a plastic container below
macerated berries in a mesh strainer being press on by a wooden spoon so the juices are pushed down into the container below
  • Combine the syrup from the berries along with a cup of distilled white vinegar into a mason jar or other sealable container.
  • Add a piece or two of smashed, sliced ginger root and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. The flavor develops further and mellows over time and is even better after about a week or two.
a bottle of white vinegar next to a glass mason jar one quarter filled with white vinegar
Berry shrub syrup being poured from a plastic container into a mason jar

How to make shrub drinks

Once you have a shrub in house, making a shrub drink is just a matter of combining some of the flavorful berry syrup with seltzer and ice. Or shake up a shrub cocktail with vodka or gin, ice and shrub.

If you want dive into making delicious cocktail shrubs, here's an article where bartenders share their trade secrets for making the best shrubs.

We've actually found the non-alcoholic shrub drink so compelling that we've been drinking it long after Dry January ended. Here's how to make our favorite recipe.

Fill any size glass with seltzer and ice and add shrub to taste. I find about two tablespoons works well for 5-6 oz. of seltzer.

two glass tumblers filled with ice, a measuring spoon adding a tablespoon of shrub syrup to one of the glasses

Add a garnish and serve!

overhead looking down on two tumblers filled with ice and a berry shrub garnished with a toothpick holding three berries and a mint sprig

If you try this berry shrub recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. Lisa and I would love to know what you think!

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Recipe

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Berry shrub drink in a glass tumbler with a garnish on top of a toothpick with three berries and a mint sprig.

How To Make A Berry Shrub (Drink)


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Ed Goldfinger
  • Total Time: 48 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 15 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This perfectly balanced berry shrub is easy to make and has a unique tart and sweet flavor that will please every palate. This shrub will last up to six months in the fridge and can be used to make refreshing non-alcoholic shrub drinks or delicious shrub cocktails.


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the berry shrub:

  • 6 ounces raspberries
  • 6 ounces blackberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1-2 thin cross-sections of sliced ginger, lightly bruised

For the berry shrub drink:

  • 6 ounces seltzer
  • 2 tablespoons berry shrub
  • Optional garnish (berries, citrus peel, herbs, etc.)

 


Instructions

For the berry shrub:

  1. Rinse the raspberries and blackberries, then add to a midsize sealable container and bruise them lightly with a fork.
  2. Add sugar and mix thoroughly with the berries. Cover and leave at room temperature for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
  3. Strain the berry mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a plastic container. Reserve berries for other use - they go great with yogurt and granola.
  4. Mix the syrup from the berries with vinegar and the vinegar in a glass or plastic container. 
  5. Add in sliced ginger and seal.
  6. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours. The flavor will continue to develop for weeks to come.

To make a non-alcoholic berry shrub drink:

  1. Pour seltzer into a glass filled with ice.
  2. Add berry shrub to taste - I recommend 2 tablespoons for 6 ounces of seltzer
  3. Finish with a garnish of fresh berries or herbs (optional) and serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: keep the shrub refrigerated in a well-sealed container for up to six months. Macerated berries should also be refrigerated.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • maceration and refrigeration: 48 hours
  • Category: Beverage
  • Method: Cold press

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Cooking Techniques, Drinks, Entertaining, vegan, Vegetarian

Reader Interactions

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    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Hollis Ramsey

    May 27, 2023 at 3:17 pm

    Hi, Eddie, this is Hollis, an inveterate tamperer of recipes. So please don’t take this personally.

    I’ve been immersing myself in Ottolenghi-style cooking, so I’m going to use frozen blueberries and raspberries, which is what I have.. I use date sugar (from Date Lady, https://ilovedatelady.com/products/date-sugar), which is less sweet than typical refined sugar since the only ingredient is dried, ground dates. I use a small batch wild blueberry apple cider vinegar (from American Vinegar Works, https://www.americanvinegarworks.com/products/wild-blueberry-apple-cider-vinegar). Instead of ginger, I’ll add about 2 whole star anise and the same amount of whole cloves. The only thing I won’t change is the seltzer LOL. Garnished with fresh mint.

    This will go very well with Ottolenghi’s Baked Mint Rice with Pomegranate Olive Salsa (from SIMPLE, https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/baked-mint-rice-with-pomegranate-and-olive-salsa), which I’m about to make. Unfortunately, since I have to wait 24 hours, I’ll have to enjoy the shrub with the leftovers, which are also delicious.

    I’d love to add vodka to the shrub, but my medications make that impossible. Nevertheless, shrubs are what make living in a hot climate possible. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and your knowledge!

    Reply
    • Eddie

      May 28, 2023 at 7:30 am

      Hi Hollis,
      Well, thanks for the five star rating, I guess! Shrubs are incredibly versatile and your variation sounds delicious, never mind that it swapped everything out in my recipe except the seltzer!
      Shrub on!
      Eddie

      Reply
  2. Sheila

    April 12, 2023 at 12:05 pm

    I made this last week and really liked how it turned out. Can’t wait until we get local summer fruit to try as shrubs too. Thank you.

    Reply
  3. Lisa Goldfinger

    March 28, 2023 at 6:33 am

    I love your berry shrub Eddie! xoxo

    Reply

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