Oh how I love the sound of ice tinkling in a cocktail glass at the end of a long summer day. As the sunlight casts longer shadows and the heat of the day shimmers the last of its intensity, who could resist a cold glass of sweet elixir that perks up the tongue and mellows the soul.
I was first intrigued by shrubs, or drinking vinegars, after reading an article about Pok Pok Wing. Alan Ricker of Portland, OR fame, opened a small shop in Brooklyn serving his delicious Thai food, and also sells shrubs by the name Som. The description of a “refreshing drink with a nice tartness coming from the vinegar and concentrated flavors of fruit, vegetable and aromatics” got me intrigued immediately. I am a huge fan of aromatics such as bitters and how they can turn a languid sweet drink into a snappy upstart of a cocktail. Just a dash to add bright top notes to the tongue, and an invitation to the nose.
Shrubs have a long history and show up in recipe books before the time of Ben Franklin. The sugar, alcohol and vinegar act as a preservative thereby allowing one to make and store a shrub to then offer a drink at any moment, “…’Tis a pretty wine and cordial. For each tot of rum add a double tot of shrub. At the end of the evening everyone was cordial!” {from The Innkeeper and Butler’s Guide, published in 1808} Shrubs can be a compound of many different fruits, herbs and flowers, and the process couldn’t be simpler.
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| Strawberry Rose |
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| Blueberry Mint |
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| watermelon |