How to turn a fruit glut into a shrub cocktail – recipe | Food

WWhenever he has a glut of fruit, Tom Hill, chef/co-owner of Duck Soup and Little Duck The Picklery in London and Emilia in Ashburton, Devon, turns it into drinking vinegar. “Right now we’ve got rhubarb on it,” he tells me, “and even when the rhubarb’s gone there’s still a lot of flavor in the fruit, so I make chutney to go with the cheese.”

Drinking vinegar or shrubs can be made from almost any fruit. Soft fruit will naturally break down, but if you’re using a harder fruit like a pear or peach, grate or chop it first. At this time of year, for example, hedgerows should be full of juicy, ripe blackberries, and bramble bushes happen to make a great cocktail known as bramble. For two people, pour 100ml dry gin and 100ml fresh lime juice into a shaker, add ice, shake vigorously and then strain into two glasses filled with crushed ice. Drizzle a 25ml shot of blackberry bush over each glass (see preparation below), garnish with a lime wedge and a few blackberries and serve.

shrubs and drinking vinegar

I love adding a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of drinking water — they add a wonderful, subtle acidity and tangy twang — but shrubs are even more delicious when infused with fruit, often in combination with an herb or spice and served like a liqueur. Interesting flavor combinations include cherry and sage, blood orange and mint, and blackberry and black pepper, as I did for today’s photo as the fruit is in season. I adapted this recipe from one in my cookbook Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet.

Makes 700-800ml

300 grams of fruit
300 grams of sugaror another sweetener such as honey or agave or maple syrup
300 grams of vinegar – Cider, white wine, red wine, in order of preference
1 herb sprig – sage, mint, rosemary; Play with flavor combinations you like (optional)
½ tsp spices – black pepper, cinnamon, allspice (optional)

In a large jar, combine the fruit, sugar, and vinegar, and add the herb sprig and spice if using (a little goes a long way here). Seal and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds, then protect from direct sunlight for a week or two and shake the mixture once a day to aid infusion. Strain the pulp (keep it for another use: I sweeten it and use it like a fermented jam or compote), pour the shrub into a clean bottle and keep in the fridge to enjoy diluted with sparkling or still water.