Strawberry Rhubarb Shrub

With a sweet-tart fruity flavor, a Strawberry Rhubarb Shrub is a delicious alcohol free beverage or a trendy cocktail.

Today I’m updating an old recipe that has just come back into my life.  In abundance. 

You see about a year ago, I tested as pre-diabetic.  And after some simple lifestyle changes, my new test results came back… worse!  

Which means it’s time to get serious. No more beers around the campfire or sweet cocktails on the deck.   Yup, it’s time for some tasty alternatives. 

So, bring me–a shrubbery! Okay, not a bush like Monty Python’s King Arthur sought.  I’ll just have a nice strawberry rhubarb shrub beverage.  Delicious without alcohol (or with) and lower in carbs, it just might make my summer!  

What is a Fruit Shrub?   

The term “shrub” can be a little confusing since it’s used two ways. First, it can refer to the vinegar base (also called “drinking vinegar”) that flavors the final beverage.   This consists of a mixture of fruit, sugar, and vinegar that rests about a week, then gets strained into a syrup that’s really flavorful.

Now to complicate matters, “shrub” can also refer to the final beverage.  This is made by topping a couple tablespoons of the base with sparkling or plain water.  Or if you’d like a cocktail version, you can add a shot of gin or vodka.

Of course if you’re looking to expand your mocktail repertoire, this drink has your back.  It has a more complex flavor than juice topped with sparkling water and fewer calories than many commercial mixers (and it can even be made sweetener rather than sugar).

I especially love the classic Strawberry Rhubarb shrub combination in late spring and early summer!

Now for a more formal definition Wikipedia tells us that “the word shrub can also refer to a cocktail or soft drink that was popular during America’s colonial era, made by mixing a vinegared syrup with spirits, water, or carbonated water. The term can also be applied to the base, a sweetened vinegar-based syrup from which the cocktail is made.”

Why You’ll Love This!

Tasty.  Strawberry and rhubarb is a delicious combination to start.  Add a little nuance with some white wine vinegar and the flavor is over the top!

Refreshing.  Top with plain or sparkling water for a refreshing summer beverage.  Sparkling is my favorite!

Healthier.  This is a good alternative to a cocktail. 

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Strawberries, rhubarb.  These add fruity goodness and flavor.
• White wine vinegar.  This adds flavor complexity and tartness.  You can use another vinegar but beware of the flavor overpowering the fruit.  I tried different combinations and the straight white wine vinegar was my favorite.
• Sugar.   This balances the vinegar and adds sweetness. I have also tested it with an equal amount of allulose plus some stevia with excellent results (see “variations” below).
• Sparkling or plain water.  For serving.

Special Tools

• No special tools required though a food processor can help chop the fruit.

Step by Step Directions

Chop the strawberries and rhubarb coarsely.     

Combine the cut up fruit with the sugar.  Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature.

Mash the fruit to break it up some, then let it sit for another hour. At this point, a lot of the juices should have been released.

Mash the fruit again. Let sit, covered, at room temperature, for 24 hours.  Add the vinegar, stir, and let sit, covered and refrigerated for one week, stirring daily.

After a week, strain the fruit from the mixture and save the liquid in a sealed jar.

For serving, measure two tablespoons of syrup into a glass, then top with 8  ounces (or to taste) of plain or sparkling water. 

How to Serve

This can be served in any type of glass that you’d like! Just adjust the amount for the glass size or fill in with extra ice.

I like to garnish with extra strawberries, herbs, lemon slices or anything pretty! 

Variations and Special Diets

You can turn this into a strawberry rhubarb shrub cocktail, by adding a shot ( 1 ½ ounces) of vodka or gin to your beverage.   

I tested this with sugar as well as with allulose plus stevia (since allulose by volume is less sweet than sugar).  Both were delicious.  The yield was just a little higher with the sugar and it seemed to draw out the moisture a bit better from the fruit, though perhaps the fruit was drier.  And obviously the sweetener version will be lower in carbs and calories.  You need to use a sweetener that measures like sugar so the fruit can macerate.

While I haven’t tried it, honey should work as well, though it may mask some of the more delicate fruit flavors.

Leftovers

The shrub base should keep refrigerated for a couple weeks or longer since the vinegar effectively “pickles” the fruit juice. 

When you strain your fruit out of the syrup, you will be left with about 1/2 cup of fruit residue.  Sadly, I found this a bit tart to go into yogurt, my usual solution.  But if you’d like to avoid wasting it, try mixing it into a fruit salsa, or adding a little maple syrup to it and topping pancakes or waffles. 

Or be scandalous and pop it in the compost.

Tips & FAQs

The classic ingredient ratio for a fruit shrub is 1 part fruit, 1 part sugar and 1 part vinegar.  This makes it super easy to change the quantity, or swap in different fruits or vinegars. 

If you try this and like it, check back (or to be safe subscribe) because I’m planning a lot of flavor experiments this summer and will be publishing the best ones!

Strawberry Rhubarb Shrub

Fruit shrubs like this strawberry rhubarb shrub are both trendy and historic. A mix of fruit, sugar and vinegar it can be used for cocktails or soft drinks.

Author: Inger

5 from 2 votes

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Inactive Time 8 days d

Total Time 8 days d 10 minutes mins

Course Beverages

Cuisine American

Servings 20

Calories 64 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup chopped rhubarb
• 3/4 cup chopped strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups sugar or 1 1/2 cups allulose plus 20 drops stevia (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
• plain or sparkling water for serving

Instructions

 

• Chop the fruit coarsely.
• Combine the cut up fruit with the sugar. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Mash the fruit to break it up some, then let it sit for another hour. At this point, a lot of the juices should have been released.
• Mash the fruit again. Let sit, covered, at room temperature, for 24 hours.
• Add the vinegar, stir, and let sit, covered and refrigerated for one week, stirring once daily.
• After a week, strain the fruit from the mixture and save the liquid in a sealed jar.
• For serving, measure two tablespoons of syrup into a glass, then top with ice and 8 ounces of plain or sparkling water.

Notes

To make a strawberry rhubarb shrub cocktail, measure an ounce of syrup, add a shot ( 1 ½ ounces) of vodka or gin, then top with ice and sparkling water.  

 

Nutrition

Calories: 64kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 0.1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.004gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.004gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 29mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 5IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 0.1mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from original, published on Jun 30, 2014.

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