two orange pink rhubarb shrub cocktails, sitting on a white background with flowers

There’s an old expression: “Some eat to live, while others live to eat.”

Food can be many things to many different people – it can range from ascetic nourishment to pure hedonistic pleasure. Whether it is borne out of necessity, as a platform for creativity, or as an excuse to gather with people we love, eating and cooking have a solid place in the collective cultural history of all people.

Food history – how and why some edible tradition or broadly shared recipe has come about, and in particular, why we still enjoy it today, is something I find fascinating. Why do these old-fashioned, simple recipes, with only minimal ingredients & archaic cooking techniques, continue to draw us to them again and again?

This recipe, the historic and easy to make ‘Shrub’ is one of these repopularized classics. After doing some reading, then stumbling into a fortunate conversation with a likeminded foodie friend on the topic, I had to delve further into this interesting acidulated concoction. A ‘shrub’, broadly speaking, is a drink of fresh fruit (or vegetables) that is preserved with sugar and vinegar. The cocktail version is really just that – fresh fruit or vegetables, sugar, vinegar, mixed with fizzy water and your choice of spirit. That’s it.

You can find vinegar-based drinks enjoyed all around the world. Versions of this drink exist in Asia, Africa, and Europe, and were imported to the New World. The roots of it are literally ancient. Shrub recipes, called ‘drinking vinegars’, were described during biblical times as being an excellent restorative drink after a long day of work! They also last – historically, making a shrub out of your harvested fruits preserved them for later in the year.

Now that you know the history…

You may be wondering what makes drinking ‘syrupy vinegar’ so good? Well, I personally find that the delicate balance of the sweet fruit and tart vinegar attracts our taste buds. It’s almost like a fruity kombucha. A drink that’s too sweet on a hot summer’s day doesn’t help beat the heat. If it’s too sour, it doesn’t bring people running. There’s a knife edge of perfection to balance on, and this drink does just that.

Shrubs are very flexible: They can be enjoyed in cocktails & non alcoholic drinks alike. Add some to your favorite mixed drink instead of simple syrup and citrus juices, or mix together with soda water & ice for a very light and refreshing beverage. It’s a taste that’s both familiar and layered.

In Colonial America, shrubs were said to be “so easy to drink, one might never stop”, and I can totally see why – this cocktail is light, refreshing, and softly fruit flavored. A perfect liquid reviver for a summer’s afternoon.

Here I’ve created a beautiful spring rhubarb ‘heavy shrub’ recipe, with a dash of fresh strawberries to jazz it up. Drink your shrub with a splash of club soda, or make it into my latest favorite cocktail, the Rhubarb Vodka Shrub.

two refreshing looking pink cocktails in gold accented glasses, with floral garnishes

Rhubarb Vodka Shrub

makes 2 cocktails

3 ounces of vodka

2 ounces Rhubarb & Strawberry Shrub

1 ounce St~Germain Elderflower Liquor

2 strawberries, washed & trimmed (plus more for garnish)

splash of Seltzer water

Reserve two low ball glasses. Take a strawberry and cut about 1/2 inch into the bottom. Run the cut end of the strawberry around the rim of the glasses (this will lend a beautiful strawberry scent to the glass)

strawberry being run around the rim of a cocktail glass

In a cocktail shaker cup, add 2 halved strawberries, and mash with a muddler.

muddling fresh strawberries in a cocktail shaker cup

Add the shrub syrup, vodka, and elderflower liquor.

Pink finished rhubarb shrub concentrate, being pored into a glass jigger

St Germain Elderflower Liquer being poured into a jigger

Fill the shaker cup with a small handful of ice and shake vigorously until well chilled.

straining the cocktail into two tumblers

Fill your low ball glasses halfway with ice, and strain the cocktail into the already prepared glasses. Add a splash of seltzer water and mix gently.

adding fizzy soda water to two finished drinks

Garnish with strawberries and rhubarb ribbons, if available.

two cocktail tumblers filled with pink drinks and garnished with fresh strawberries

Rhubarb & Strawberry Shrub Syrup

Rhubarb shrub in a jar, with fresh flowers, strawberries and rhubarb scattered around

makes 1 1/2 cups of concentrate

1 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, trimmed & chopped

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of white vinegar

a large glass jar or glass bowl

rhubarb and strawberries sitting on a cutting board with a sharp knife

After chopping your rhubarb & strawberries, add to a large jar or glass bowl.

Next, pour in 1 cup of white sugar and mix. You can gently mash the fruit as well, with a wooden spoon or muddler.

transferring the rhubarb slices to a large mason jar

adding sugar to the mason jar and closing the top. Photo of hands shaking the jar to mix the rhubarb and sugar together

Close the jar (or, plastic wrap the bowl, if using) and place in the refrigerator to chill for 2-3 days. The sugar & fruit will macerate over this time, and a syrupy juice will be the result. Try to mix 1-2 times a day to make sure the sugar fully dissolves.

close up of the main jar now filed with rhubarb, strawberries, and sugar

After 48 hours or so, take your mixture, and strain the contents through a sieve over a large bowl. Mash the fruit remains gently to get as much liquid out as possible (you can keep these bits to eat in yogurt if you like!).

a sieve set over a large white bowl, filled with the rhubarb solids and the liquids at the bottom of the bowl

Using only the liquid, add 1 cup of vinegar and mix. Return the shrub to a large jar with tight-fitting cover. Let chill for at least 8 hours, and you now have a tasty shrub!

adding white vinegar to the rhubarb liquid in the big white bowl

Add to your favorite cocktail straight, or combine 1 ounce to every 8 ounces of club soda for a refreshing soft drink.

poring the finished shrub concentrate back into a large mason jar

This mix will stay good in your refrigerator for at least 6 months.

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4.80 from 5 votes