A shrub is a sweetened vinegar syrup diluted into a refreshing, slightly acidic drink — a fixture of American taverns and pharmacy soda fountains, especially popular as a temperance alternative to alcohol.
Ingredients (makes about 2 cups syrup)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 cup raw cane sugar
- 1 cup raw apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
- Pinch of sea salt
Method
- Place raspberries in a glass bowl, pour sugar over, and mix gently to coat.
- Cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature 24 to 48 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sugar draws out the juice.
- Strain through fine mesh, pressing firmly. Stir in vinegar and salt.
- Transfer to a sealed glass bottle — ready immediately, improves with time.
- To serve: combine 2 tablespoons shrub with 8 oz still or sparkling water over ice.
Cold-process shrubs preserve more of the fruit’s aromatic compounds than cooked versions, and the raw vinegar’s live culture stays active. Refrigerate up to 2 months.
This recipe is one of twenty in The Forgotten Apothecary — our full digital cookbook of pharmacy-counter tonics, switchels, oxymels, and healing syrups.