Let us talk about Shrubs, not shrubbery

[Tony]

Good Day All-

I trust you are doing great.

Would love to hear about your cocktails that include shrubs and your experiences with shrubs.

I have only in the last year become aware of shrubs and have enjoyed them but not seen to many bourbon related cocktails that include shrubs. I am currently in the process of making my first shrub and looking forward to trying it out. It was a fairly simple process. I took two cups of raspberries and muddled them with two cups of organic sugar and put it in the fridge and stirred it regularly for three days. Today I added two cups of apple cider vinegar and will be shaking the mix every day for the next ten days and then straining it into a jar and my shrub will be complete.

Here are some other shrub recipes I have found-

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2013/02/25/strawberry-black-pepper-shrub-recipe

http://www.saltfatwhiskey.com/2013/08/14/blackcap-rasp-vinegar-shrub/

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-shrub-syrup-174072

Best regards, Tony

[DaveOfAtl]

I am a fan. There is a good cocktail bar that makes a cocktail with a shrub made with beet juice and white balsamic that is incredible.

[GaryT]

I couldn't help it - as soon as I saw the thread, I started chirping "Ni!" (scaring the crap out of our cats, who obviously haven't seen the movie).

[Old Dusty]

Tony, let us know how your experiment turns out. There is a bar near me that does its own shrubs and one is apple based and they use it in bourbon/rye cocktails. Very tasty. I have also seen a bottled shrub called "Clement's Creole Shrub". Have been tempted to give it a go.

edit: here are a couple of the interesting bourbon concoctions from the bar I mentioned.

Jackie Treehorn:

Buffalo Trace Bourbon,Spiced Apple Shrub

and Burton’s Maple Syrup

Nice Marmot:

Buffalo Trace Bourbon,

Smoked Honey Syrup, Aperol,

Angostura Bitters and lemon

Shakedown:

Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Briottet Crème

de Framboise, fresh lemons & sugar

Edited June 6, 2014 by Old Dusty

[Richnimrod]

Never heard of 'shrubs' the way you speak of 'em, Tony. My sheltered life leaves me out of the loop in so many instances.

However this thread reminds me that my own 'shrubbery' in the front lawn is desperate for a trimming.

The shrubs you wrote about sound interesting, and probably tasty. Let us know how it all turns out.

[tanstaafl2]

I don't know of a lot of drinks that combine a shrub with bourbon or whiskey in general although I am sure there are a few. I see it more with rum and a few with tequila or mezcal. Cherry and apple shrubs would likely work with bourbon.

One I found but have never tried that combines bourbon, mezcal and a shrub sounds like a wild one!

The Prodigal Son

Only thing I am missing is the Habanero shrub so I may see if I can find it.

Clement Creole Shrubb (they use 2 B's for some reason), a rhum agricole based shrub, is a wonderful mixer in rum drinks where it can easily replace curacao, Cointreau or Grand Marnier in most any drink that calls for them. It could probably find a home with bourbon in the hands of a good bartender.

Finding a good bartender who really knows how to create a good drink is the trick of course.

[Tony]

Never heard of 'shrubs' the way you speak of 'em, Tony. My sheltered life leaves me out of the loop in so many instances.

However this thread reminds me that my own 'shrubbery' in the front lawn is desperate for a trimming.

The shrubs you wrote about sound interesting, and probably tasty. Let us know how it all turns out.

[tanstaafl2]

Cocktail shrubs are interesting. I always assumed that, historically, the inclusion of vinegar was to replace the tartness of citrus juice when those fruits weren't in season or were scarce.

I must say, the more I hear about shrubs, the more my curiosity for these peculiar cocktail components is piqued. While I wouldn't personally go to the trouble of making a shrub, I would be open to trying a shrub-infused cocktail at one of those renowned bars with a skilled bartender at the helm.

Don't know if it was to replace the fruit juice but a shrub can be made with any acid to preserve the freshness of the fruit and can include an alcohol preserver as an option. While many (most?) shrubs are made with vinegar now it is not required. It can also be made without vinegar using citrus juice as the acid, rum or brandy, sugar and either the fruit juice or the zest/peel or both.

Clement Creole Shrubb is a good example of a fairly commonly available shrub that doesn't use any vinegar (that I know of). It is a great ingredient for tiki drinks because of its rhum base.

[Harry in WashDC]

For those who haven't yet browsed Amazon.com,

Michael Dietsch 'Shrubs: An Old Fashioned Drink for Modern Times' in hardback Oct 2014 (no Kindle version yet) and

W'm Bobrow & Phil Dobard 'Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails . . .' due out May 2015.

My foggy mind thinks Dave Wondrich's 'Imbibe' mentions shrubs, but I gave my copy to somebody so couldn't check.

I've had good luck substituting bourbon for rum in shrub recipes as long as tropical fruits (papaya, mango, pineapple) are not part of the fermenting mash.

[BanjoKeith]

I have made a few shrubs, and have been really happy with the results. Keep in mind that they tend to be quite sweet, and you usually only need a healthy splash to really influence the cocktail. Usually, a splash with your spirit of choice and some soda or tonic water is a quick and easy cocktail, with tons of variations possible.

I want to experiment a lot more, but so far the best ones I've made have been:

cucumber/lime: great with a gin or vodka + tonic.

Orange honey: Highly recommended as a substitute for simple syrup in an old fashioned.

Basil Peach: Fantastic with bourbon or rye.

Feel free to pass along any successful combinations you discover!

[moebimoebi]

I am a fan. There is a good cocktail bar that makes a cocktail with a shrub made with beet juice and white balsamic that is incredible.

I had a cocktail made with something similar the other night and it was delicious! Tart, sweet, and summery.