Cold-Pressed Shrub in Three Easy Steps
You read it here first, unless you read it somewhere else earlier.
A shrub – the vinegar/sugar drink that contains no actual shrubs (“shrub” comes from the Arabic word, “sharāb,” which translates to “drink“) – is an excellent mixer for a refreshing beverage, be it a cocktail or sparkling water. While the cold-pressed variety takes about four days to set, it’s not difficult to make and retains more flavor than the boiled method.
All you need is some vinegar – I prefer apple cider – and sugar. Use berries or fruit for flavoring – in this case, blueberries. A cheesecloth is required for proper straining.
Mix 1 lb of blueberries1 with 1 cup of sugar in a jar. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for a day or two.
Stir 1 cup of vinegar into the mixture. Refrigerate.
After a couple of days, strain the mixture through a double layer of cheesecloth. You want to remove all sediments.
And that’s it. Refrigerate the mixture in a vessel of your choice. Note that this is a base recipe; you can experiment with different types of vinegar and fruit. Replacing half the sugar with half a cup of honey alters the palate, too.
A Quick Drink
A little goes a long way with a shrub – even though the above recipe won’t leave you with a lot, most drinks require just a tablespoon or three of the tonic. My simple go-to:
Over ice, mix three tablespoons of shrub with lime/mint Topo-Chico. Give it a good stir, and that’s all you need. For this, I use a standard sixteen-ounce glass, but playing with the ratios is always worthwhile.
Wikipedia: “Shrub (drink)“ (Last modified: September 21, 2025)
You’ll want to cut larger fruits into small pieces.