So its spring… and you’re stuck at home with a bunch of fresh berries in the fridge and all this time… why not make a homemade shrub? If you’ve never heard of a shrub, its a decades-old way of preserving fresh fruit by macerating it in sugar, then adding vinegar to extend the lifespan - the end result being a sweet, sour and fruity syrup. The cool part about it is it doesn’t have to contain alcohol and makes for an amazing mocktail for those of you who just want a refreshing beverage to drink at home during the day.

We may have bought almost too many strawberries at @ambrosefamilyfarm the other week and had the idea to turn these vine-ripened strawberries into a black pepper/strawberry shrub for a balance of sweet, spicy, sour and fruity. Now the fun part is taking this syrup and creating a cocktail out of it. I used @hendricksgin because of the cucumber notes, then added our black pepper/strawberry shrub syrup, lime and mint to create a refreshing springtime drink you can make at home.

Sidenote: This recipe can easily be a non-alcoholic mocktail. Just omit the gin and add more soda water or NA spirit of your choice. Cheers!

ingredients:

• 1½ oz Gin

• 1½ oz Black Pepper/Strawberry Shrub Syrup

• ½ oz Fresh Lime Juice

• 3 oz Soda Water

• 1 Sprig of Mint (garnish)

• 1 Strawberry (garnish)

tools:

• Shaking Tins

• Jigger (Japanese Style)

• Hawthorne Strainer

• Fine Strainer

• Glassware

• Other Tools

• Complete Bartending Set

instructions:

Combine all ingredients except the soda water and garnishes in a shaking tin with ice. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Pour and strain over a chilled Collins glass with ice. Garnish with mint and fresh strawberries. Serve and enjoy!

ingredients:

SHRUB SYRUP

• 2 lbs of Fresh Strawberries (cleaned/quartered)

• 2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar

• 1 cup Sugar

• 1 tbsp Black Peppercorns

instructions:

SHRUB SYRUP

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 24-48 hours, gently stirring every 12 hours or so and letting the strawberries and sugar granules break down. Fine strain using a mesh strainer into a glass container. For a more refined syrup, strain again through a coffee filter. Add 1oz of gin to fortify the syrup and shake to incorporate.

Check it out on Instagram:

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Disclosure: 

Certain links above can be affiliated, meaning at no additional cost to you, I could potentially earn commission for each purchase. 

If a post is sponsored, this means I was compensated to research, develop and photograph a custom recipe on my own. Thanks y'all!