Melon Shrub
Several years ago, a good friend introduced me to “shrubs.” Not the bushy plants, no, a shrub is a type of drinking vinegar, which this friend spent the better part of a summer making with any fruit she could find and, in the process, hooking anyone who tried her home made shrubs on to this sweet and tangy drink.
There are many iterations of drinking vinegars throughout history and across cultures (check out Sekanjabin: A Sweet and Sour Ancient Persian Syrup and Drink), but the style we are going to share here (a shrub) is more reminiscent of Colonial American drinking vinegars.
Shrubs can be mixed with sparkling water for a very refreshing “soda” or used as a component for a cocktail or non-alcoholic mixed drink, (we’ve even used it as an ingredient in a salad dressing by subbing out some or all of the vinegar you’d normally use in a dressing with the shrub – it was delicious.).
A shrub is made using equal parts of three ingredients: fruit, sugar, and vinegar. It’s a great way to preserve a bounty of fruit or simply make use of very ripe, bruised, or overripe fruit (as long as there’s no mold or spoilage). You can even add other flavoring agents to the mixture, such as herbs, spices, and aromatics.
Once you’ve got a handle on the basic technique, you can adjust to your tastes by adding more vinegar or sugar to suit your preferences and by playing around with different types of vinegars and sugars, finding your perfect pair to the fruit at hand.
The process is relatively simple and hands-off, but does require a bit of time for the magic to happen. First you macerate the fruit and sugar for 1-2 days, then you strain the liquid, adding to it the final, equal, part of vinegar. After you initially add the vinegar, the shrub needs some time to mellow (2-3 days at least), but that’s it! Just a few easy steps and some patience is all it takes.
Our shrub journeys are usually led by whatever is in peak season and abundance. Right now, that’s melons! This is the perfect way to use that melon that’s gone a bit overripe – you’ll capture and preserve that intoxicating aroma perfectly (not that you’d ever let a melon sit on your counter for one too many days).
Below are details on how to make a melon shrub, but remember – you can do this with ANY fruit! The only difference will be how you prepare the fruit in the initial step; for berries instead of cubing like we do with the melon, you’ll just halve or lightly crush them, for apples, you might try grating them, and for stone fruit or cherries be sure to remove the pits!
How To Make Melon Shrub:
Generally, I like to let the amount of fruit I have on hand determine the measurement for the sugar and vinegar, as shrubs are made using a 1:1:1 ratio of fruit : sugar : vinegar (alternatively you can let the amount of sugar and/or vinegar you have on hand determine how much of your fruit you’ll use). At the end of this detailed description of how to make melon shrub, we’ll share a vary pared down, basic recipe.
1. Start with the fruit. To prepare the melon, remove the seeds and skin, and then cube the flesh into 1-inch (or so) pieces. It’s important to break the fruit down a bit so that the sugar can cover more surface area.
Once you’ve prepared the fruit, make note of how much you’ve ended up with. If you’re using a scale, weigh of the fruit, if you’re using measuring cups, get a rough measure of the fruit you’re using. I like to take this measurement after I’ve prepared the fruit so that I know exactly how much I am working with once the seeds and skin have been removed. This measurement will determine how much sugar and vinegar you will use.
We decided to use 460 grams of melon. Sometimes we base this decision around how much fruit we have, but sometimes it’s based on how much vinegar or sugar we have. In this situation, we limited the amount of melon we were going to use based around how much vinegar and sugar we had on hand.
2. Now pick your sugar. Because we wanted to harness the delicate flavor of the melon, we kept it simple using white sugar. Brown sugar or Demerara sugar add more of a caramel flavor (which is great with some fruit!), and honey will, of course, add a honey flavor.
Pour in the sugar! We tared our scale to zero out with the fruit on it and added in the sugar until it weighed in around 460 grams.
Measure your chosen sugar according to the fruit measurement you just took (we used 460 g of melon, so we needed 460 g of sugar), and pour the sugar over the fruit. Stir fruit and sugar together until the fruit is completely coated with sugar. Add in any spices, herbs, or aromatics now. We added a few sprigs of thyme.
3. Cover the fruit/sugar mixture and let macerate at room temperature (or refrigerate) for 1-2 days. Give it a stir every 12 hours or so to make sure all of the sugar is getting dissolved (it helps to put a little sticky note on your container to remember the amount of vinegar you’ll need in a few days!).
After a few days, the fruit and sugar will have created a syrup. Using a very fine sieve, strain the syrup into a clean jar or bottle (you can discard or save the fruit…possibly to top your next bowl of ice cream?). You can even add a layer of cheesecloth or muslin cloth to the sieve if you want to remove all traces of pulp.
4. Add your vinegar to the syrup. Remember to use the initial fruit measurement to determine how much vinegar to add (for ours that is 460 grams). We used rice vinegar for this shrub, as we like its clean flavor profile for the delicate melon flavor.
5. Cover and leave the finished shrub mixture to mellow in the fridge for at least 2-3 days. The vinegar flavor will be very strong at first, but over time will mellow, letting the fruit shine. After letting the shrub mellow for a few days, give it a taste, and if you’re not pleased with the flavor (it’s too vinegary), just let it sit for a few more weeks as the flavors meld and mellow further.
Enjoy!
Simplified Basic Shrub Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 part fruit
1 part sugar
1 part vinegar
Directions:
1. Prepare the fruit by removing any pits or large seeds and either crushing a bit or cubing depending on type of fruit
2. Mix prepared fruit with sugar, ensuring that the fruit is well coated. Let sit for 1-2 days at room temperature (or refrigerate, if that makes you nervous), stirring every 12 hours to make sure all the sugar gets dissolved.
3. After the fruit and sugar have macerated to create a beautiful syrup, use a very fine sieve to strain the syrup into a clean jar or bottle. Discard the fruit or save it for another use.
4. Add the vinegar to the syrup and stir to combine.
5. Cover and let mellow for at least 2-3 days before using.
Being an elixir with a rich history, there are many versions, tips, and techniques for making shrub. What we have shared is the method that we’ve found works best for our tastes. For additional reading on shrub technique, check out these pages: How to Make Shrubs (aka Drinking Vinegars) Without a Recipe and How to make a shrub. If you type “how to make a shrub” into youtube, you’ll also find plenty of helpful videos.