Gather Ingredients

• The cold method has a fresh fruit flavor at the expense of time, taking up to 3 days to make.
• While the hot process makes quick work to create a shrub drink, you lose the fresh fruit flavor due to the cooking process.
• Shrubs are a matter of ratio, with an ideal sweet-tart ratio of 1:1:1 fruit sugar and vinegar.

Mix the Fruit, Sugar, and Vinegar

Cold Method

• Add clean strawberries, hulled and quartered, to a large bowl or jar. Add the sugar and stir to coat the fruit. Loosely cover to keep debris out and let it sit at room temperature until the fruit begins to release its juices, roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Place the bowl and cover in the refrigerator to macerate for up to 24 to 48 hours.
• Line a strainer with a piece of cheesecloth set over a large bowl. Strain out the fruit pulp and discard.
• Measure the fruit syrup and add equal parts vinegar. When adding the vinegar, start slow and taste as you go to find the balance you like.
• Transfer to a bottle with a tight-fitting lid.
• Store in the refrigerator up to 2 months.

Hot Process

• Add equal parts sugar and water to a medium saucepan. Place on the stove over medium heat. While stirring, cook until the sugar dissolves.
• Add clean strawberries, hulled and quartered, to the pan. Simmer until the fruit begins to release its juices and blends well into the syrup. Continue cooking until the berries are spent and the simple syrup is a bright red hue, similar to the strawberries.
• Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.
• Line a fine-mesh sieve with a piece of cheesecloth set over a large bowl. Strain out the solids.
• Add the vinegar to the syrup and transfer to a bottle with a tight-fitting lid.
• Store in the refrigerator up to 2 months.

Serve

• Fill a tall glass with ice, top with a splash of the shrub, and top it off with your favorite type of water. I like to mix 1 part shrub syrup with 4 parts sparkling water. Stir to incorporate the shrub a bit and enjoy!