Cranberry shrub is a sweet and sour mixture of fresh cranberries, cider vinegar and sugar that is strained and cooked briefly. While shrubs can be alcoholic (where the vinegar is replaced by alcohol, and have citrus as a base) or non-alcoholic, all shrubs have a sweet-tart flavor to them.
The word shrub comes from Arabic, and was first used in English in the mid-18th century to describe blends of alcohol, citrus juice and peel, and other spices that were sweetened with sugar, then filtered and bottled. Before the advent of refrigeration, these drinks could be preserved throughout the summer months without spoiling.
Shrubs are very similar to gastriques, which are sauces made from caramelized sugar deglazed with some sort of acidity.
Some popular cocktails containing Cranberry shrub
- Whoville Sling — Bourbon, Cranberry bitters, Soda water, Cranberry shrub, Lime juice
- Holiday In Osaka — Shochu, Gold rum, Cherry Liqueur, Club soda, Cranberry shrub, Orange, Cranberry
- The Renegade — Scotch, Peychaud's Bitters, Club soda, Cranberry shrub, Orange peel, Brown sugar
- He's Crafty — Bourbon, Sweet vermouth, Grapefruit bitters, Cranberry shrub, Lemon syrup
- Cranberry shrub cocktail — Bourbon, Orange liqueur, Bitters, Cranberry shrub, Maple syrup
- Rob's Sonny, Roy — Scotch, Sweet vermouth, Orange bitters, Cranberry shrub
- Bog Harvest — White whiskey, Oloroso sherry, Bitters, Cranberry shrub
- Bob Dillin' — Aquavit, Bitters, Cranberry shrub, Simple syrup, Lemon juice, Lemon peel
- Thanksgiving Apéro — Gin, Aromatized wine, Prosecco, Cranberry shrub
Explore more Cranberry shrub cocktails.