Author Notes
A few years ago, I went to my first San Francisco Street Food Festival and had a refreshingly different mocktail called a shrub. The strawberry basil shrub was one of the highlights among hundreds of street food vendors. So I researched the drink and discovered how simple it was to make. You can use just about any fruit and any vinegar, muddle in flavorings like sweet basil or thyme. The tart hit from the vinegar really makes the fruit flavor shine while adding a complexity that plays so well with the sweetness. —HalfPint
Ingredients
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2 cups
chopped strawberries
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1 cup
sugar
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1 cup
balsamic vinegar
Directions
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In a medium non-reactive bowl or container, macerate strawberries with the sugar. Cover and refrigerate for about a day, or until the sugar draws out the juice and makes a syrup.
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Strain out the fruit solids, pressing firmly to extract as much syrup as possible. You can use the fruit solids as a dessert topping or discard it.
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Add the vinegar to the syrup. Transfer to a bottle or jar. Store syrup in the fridge.
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To make a shrub mocktail:
In a tall glass, fill half way with ice, add 1-2 Tb shrub syrup or to taste, top off with carbonated water, like club soda. Give it a gentle stir and enjoy!
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