If you’ve been following along with Pickled Rose for a while, you may already know that I love making shrubs. And if you’re new here, you may be wondering what the hell a shrub is. Simply put, shrubs are a drinking vinegar sweetened with fruit and sugar. They have gained popularity over the last few years in the trendy cocktail scene, but they actually date back to 15th century Europe, when shrubs were used as a form of medicine. Over the next several centuries shrubs continued to be a favored form of preservation, and went by the wayside once refrigeration was invented.

I feel like pandemic times are as good a reason as any to get back into shrub making. If you’ve never made shrub before, it’s as simple as macerating fruit in sugar and then adding the sweet juices to vinegar. It will keep for up to a year in the fridge, but I guarantee it won’t last that long.

My rhubarb rose and ginger shrub is tart, sweet, slightly floral, and has a bit of spice from the ginger. I love to mix it with ice cold fizzy water for a refreshing non-alcoholic beverage, or add it to a drink of the adult variety. So the next time you find yourself staring at a crisper drawer full of lack luster fruit, consider making shrub to give it a new lease on life.

Rhubarb Rose and Ginger Shrub

Ingredients:

1 lb rhubarb, sliced into 1/2” pieces

1 Tbsp dried rose petals (food grade)

1/4 C ginger, sliced into 1/4-1/2” thick slices

2 C sugar

2 C apple cider vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb, rose petals, sliced ginger, and sugar, stirring until everything is coated in the sugar. Cover with with a towel or lid and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 days. Stir occasionally to make sure all the sugar has dissolved. At the end of the two days, the mixture will be soupy from the fruit releasing all their juices. Strain the juice into a large air tight container and add the vinegar. Refrigerate for 3-6 days until desired tartness is reached. The longer the shrub sits in the refrigerator the more mellow the vinegar will be.

*BONUS RECIPE: Don’t throw out the rhubarb mixture after straining out the liquid. Since the rhubarb is so hearty it doesn’t break down as much as other fruits do when making shrub, which makes it the perfect thing to make a quick and easy jam with. Place the discarded rhubarb mixture in a pot with 1 C of water. Bring to a boil over medium-medium high heat. Once boiling reduce heat to low, and simmer until the rhubarb is very soft. Blend it together using a stick blender or a larger blender until smooth. I like to push the jam through a fine mesh sieve to make it extra silky, but this step is not necessary! In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have a delicious fruit spread for toast, yogurt, or cocktails!