Robyn loves to make shrubs at home - the tart, fruity and complex flavours are perfect if you're looking for an easy alternative to make cocktails (non-alcoholic or otherwise) at home. They're also surprisingly simple to make and great for your gut health. This blueberry (known for being high in antioxidants and Vit C) and ginger (great for digestion!) is a great spring or summertime sipper so get stuck in!
Equipment:
A saucepan
A 1L clip top jar
A sieve
Ingredients:
250ml apple cider vinegar
250g light brown sugar
250g blueberries (frozen actually works better, you'll get more juice out the bluebs!)
2 pieces of Candied Ginger OR a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
Method:
- Fully clean your clip top jar using hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly.
- Pop the apple cider vinegar in a saucepan and add the sugar. Heat until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- In the meantime, cut your ginger into match stick sized pieces.
- When your sugar is completely dissolved, add in your blueberries (if you've got frozen, it's OK to add them in still frozen) and your ginger.
- Bring everything up to a rolling simmer and, using a wooden spoon or similar, smush the blueberries down a bit to pierce the skins and release some of the juices.
- Strain the fruit from the shrub mixture into a bowl using the sieve. The fruit that's left can be used to make a tart smoothie, serve over ice cream or baked into a cake if you don't want to waste it!
- Pour the shrub mixture into the clean clip top jar and leave to cool completely on the side.
- Once cool, keep your shrub in the fridge, it should last up to a month.
To serve, either fill a tall glass with ice, splash in some shrub and top with still or sparkling water OR add a splash of shrub to a mug and top with hot water if you want a cosy comforting experience. The shrub is basically a cordial so use as much or as little as you want to make the perfect drink for you.
This isn't the only way to make shrubs, you can also cold infuse the fruit for a less jammy, more true to fruit flavour. If you want to try this, just dissolve the ACV and sugar together and leave to cool in the clean clip top jar. Add your fruit and spices to the jar and leave to sit on your kitchen counter for two days, stirring daily. Once the two days are up, you can strain the fruit off and your shrub is ready to drink.
Want some other flavour ideas? You could also try
- Blackberry, Cinnamon + Star Anise with Apple Cider Vinegar
- Raspberry + Liquorice with Apple Cider Vinegar
- Strawberry + Black Pepper with Balsamic Vinegar
- Nectarine + Flowering Thyme with White Wine Vinegar