Cocktails are sort of the beverage equivalent of necktie styles: Stints of wild popularity followed by periods when they are all but forgotten. And then, sometimes unaccountably, they enjoy a fresh round of stardom.
The drink known as the shrub seems to be enjoying a moment of resuscitation. This is due in part to the craft cocktail movement, where bartenders are looking toward the past for a touch of history and novelty.
Cocktail mavens are also giving the drink a push, witness Michael Dietsch’s “Shrubs: An Old-Fashioned Drink for Modern Times,” a new book on an old libation.
Shrubs in the United States date to Colonial times. They were especially popular in the South. The name derives from the Arabic sharab, which means “to drink.” (In the ancient Mideast, vinegar and sour wine were used to purify water.)
What makes the drink special is its somewhat counterintuitive pairing of ripe fruit and sugar with vinegar. Why vinegar? Sour-tasting beverages quench your thirst more effectively than most liquids, since they spur salivation.
Shrubs are often non-alcoholic, but they can be spiked as desired with liquors such as vodka or rum.
Here are two typical recipes for shrubs.
Cantaloupe-Mint Shrub
Cantaloupe and mint are a terrific pairing. Make sure the cantaloupe is ripe, and use white wine vinegar for its delicate flavor. From Michael Dietsch’s “Shrubs: An Old-Fashioned Drink for Modern Times.” Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds cantaloupe, cut into chunks
- ¾ cup raw cane sugar
- ½ ounce mint leaves, bruised
- ¾ cup white wine vinegar
Directions
Add cantaloupe chunks and sugar to a nonreactive bowl. Stir, cover and leave to macerate on the counter for 2 hours. Meanwhile, add mint leaves to vinegar in a separate nonreactive container.
After cantaloupe has macerated, drain off the liquid into a third bowl and set aside. Discard the solids. Add the canteloupe liquid to mint and vinegar. Place in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Taste until you’re happy with the level of mint flavor. At that point, strain out the mint and discard the leaves. Serve in a tumbler.
Kiwi Fruit Shrub
The fuzzy fruit is front and center in this drink. From “Shrubs: An Old-Fashioned Drink for Modern Times.” Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 1 pound kiwi fruit
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
Directions
Wash and quarter the fruit. Don’t bother removing the skins. Place fruit and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day to macerate.
Position a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl and pour the mixture through to remove the solids. Combine the strained syrup with vinegar. Whisk well to incorporate any undissolved sugar.
Some sugar may cling to the fruit solids in the strainer. If so, set the strainer with the solids over another small bowl. Pour the syrup-and-vinegar mixture over the solids to wash the sugar into the bowl. Repeat as needed.
Pour syrup-and-vinegar mixture into a clean Mason jar. Cap it, shake it well to incorporate any undissolved sugar, and refrigerate for a week before using.
Discard the solids or save them for another use.
