Spud Tutorial: How to make peach shrub

What’s a shrub, you ask? At its essence, it’s a vinegar based syrup infused with fruit. What’s it used for? It’s brilliant in cocktails, lemonades, and just to sweeten up plain old water. The fruit flavour permeates the syrup, and the vinegar keeps it not too sweet. Perfect for a hot summer evening on a balcony or in the garden.

Everyone’s got their own way of making one, so the “recipe” below is more like a sketch. Feel free to tinker, play, and adjust to taste.

INGREDIENTS

One part sugar

One part vinegar (mix it up with apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar…whatever you like)

Two parts ripe chopped fruit

Mix your fruit and sugar together. Smash the fruit a bit to get things juicy. Let this mixture hang out in a covered jar in the fridge for a couple of days, stirring when you think about it. Once the sugar has all dissolved, add the vinegar, and let the flavour infuse for four more days. Taste it—if you’re happy, strain out the solids with a sieve and pour into clean jars. Mix it up with your favourite spirit for a brilliant cocktail.