Summer Berry Shrub Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Add the fruit, ½ cup sugar, and vinegar to a small saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until the fruit is soft and the sugar is dissolved. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar as needed, stirring to dissolve. Remove from heat.
• 2. When the liquid is cool, mash or puree the fruit in the syrup and strain into a jar. Discard the solids.
• 3. To make one glass of shrub, stir 3 tablespoons of syrup into 8 ounces of cold carbonated water. The syrup will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge.

Steps:

• Place fruit and cinnamon stick in a sterilized pint jar. Bring vinegar just to a boil; pour over fruit, leaving ¼-in. headspace. Center lid on jar; screw on band until fingertip tight. Refrigerate for 1 week., Strain vinegar mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into another sterilized pint jar. Press solids to extract juice; discard remaining fruit., Bring sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly. Stir into vinegar mixture; shake well. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. , To serve, drink 1-2 tablespoons or add to a glass of ice, top with sparkling water and garnish with fresh blackberries.

Steps:

• Mix fruit and sugar in a glass or other nonplastic bowl, breaking apart or mashing the fruit to bring out its juices. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Stir the mixture well, add vinegar and chill. The shrub can be strained and used at this point, but it will take on more of the characteristics of the fruit if it sits for a few days. When ready to use, stir well to make sure sugar is dissolved, then strain using a fine sieve, pressing the solids to get all of the juice.
• Pour the mixture into a clean Mason jar or funnel into a glass bottle with a stopper or cork.
• To prepare a drink, add 1 part shrub to 2 or 3 parts seltzer or ginger beer and serve over ice.

Steps:

• Place the blueberries in a nonmetallic container. Add the vinegar. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 days.
• Pour the vinegar-marinated blueberries into a sieve over a bowl; press the berries to release all their juice. Discard the solids.
• Pour the blueberry liquid into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool. Pour the sweetened blueberry liquid into a small container and chill.
• To make each drink, add 1/4 cup blueberry concentrate to a medium cocktail glass filled with ice and add 1 cup cold water. Garnish, if desired.