Need a use for a piece or two of fruit from the market before it goes bad? Try making shrubs, flavored syrups made with fruit, vinegar and sugar.
Shrubs are great for balancing cocktails, and are often used in place of citrus as a tart, acidic flavor to cut through the sweetness of a drink, says Kaleena Goldsworthy-Warnock, owner of local bitters company The Bitter Bottle. (Bitters are another type of flavored extract typically made with botanicals, with alcohol used as the means of extraction rather than vinegar.) Shrubs are also an easy mocktail ingredient. Simply add soda water to a quarter-ounce of shrubs, she says.
Although her company currently only offers bitters, Goldsworthy-Warnock often teaches people to make shrubs when leading cocktail classes. She suggests beginners start out with a strawberry basil shrub, a sweet yet tart syrup made with a seasonal fruit.
Strawberry Basil Shrub
What you need:
6-10 strawberries
4-8 ounces sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 bunch fresh basil
16 ounces apple cider vinegar
What you do:
1. Coarsely chop the strawberries and place them in a large jar. Cover the strawberries with the pre-measured sugar.
2. Allow the strawberries to macerate in the sugar for a minimum 30 minutes, or until a syrup forms in the jar.
3. Coarsely tear the basil and add to the strawberries. Add the apple cider vinegar.
4. Cover the jar with a piece of wax paper and seal. (The wax paper will prevent the vinegar from eating away at the lid of your jar and rusting it.) Shake daily.
5. Strain after 5-7 days. You'll know it's ready when the sugar's dissolved. Then, refrigerate and enjoy!