Raspberry shrub is a sweet and sour mixture of fresh raspberries, 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 Raspberry Shrub
- Not known — Old Tom Gin, Grapefruit bitters, Lemon juice, Orange juice, Simple syrup, Raspberry Shrub, Mint
- Craft Squirrel Sex Manhattan — Fernet Branca, Limoncello, Strawberry eau de vie, Eau de vie of Douglas Fir, Maraschino Liqueur, Tartaric acid powder, Raspberry Shrub, Cranberry, Demerara syrup, Grenadine
- Roffignac — Cognac, Club soda, Raspberry Shrub
Explore more Raspberry Shrub cocktails.