From Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails by Warren Bobrow (Fair Winds, 2015)
In recent years, shrubs—in which fruit and vinegar flavors are combined—have experienced a resurgence in popularity, both on their own and as elements of cocktails. And the right combinations of flavors can venture into unexpected places. As Warren Bobrow noted about this recipe, “Ginger and lime together are savory, not sweet.” Balancing the complex taste of the shrub with Rhum Agricole (a kind of rum made from cane juice rather than molasses) adds to the unpredictability of this drink.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Ginger-Lime Shrub
2 oz (60 ml) 100-proof Rhum Agricole Blanc
3 oz (90 ml) freshly made lemonade sweetened lightly… with a touch of raw honey or simple syrup
1⁄2 oz (15 ml) seltzer water
1 pinch fleur de sel
2–3 drops lime bitters
Directions
Hand-cut ice spear
Add the Ginger-Lime Shrub to an old fashioned glass.
Then add the ice spear.
Top with the Rhum Agricole Blanc, the lemonade, and a splash of seltzer water.
Sprinkle a pinch of fleur de sel into the drink, and finish with a couple drops of lime bitters.
Ginger-Lime Shrub
Peeled zest of 4 well-washed limes (discard the pith: it’s very bitter)
4 limes (reserve the ones from the zest), quartered
1 cup (200 g) Demerara sugar
6 tablespoons (48 g) freshly grated ginger root
1–2 cups (235–475 ml) apple cider vinegar (depending on the height of the ingredients when placed in a bowl)
Time: 3–4 weeks
In a nonreactive bowl, combine the lime peels, lime chunks, sugar, and the ginger.
Stir to combine and coat all the fruit with sugar. Cover and leave at room temperature at least overnight or for 1–2 days. (Slow, cool fermentation gives a shrub its trademark bite.)
Now prepare your shrub for aging. Set a strainer over another nonreactive bowl and pour the lime and ginger into the strainer. Use a stout wooden spoon to extract as much juice as possible from the limes and the softened ginger.
Let the mixture sit for a few more hours. Stir again, and discard the fruit chunks. Stir in the vinegar, and then use a funnel to transfer the shrub syrup to a sterilized bottle. Seal, and then shake well to combine.
Store the bottles in the refrigerator or at cellar temperature for 3–4 weeks before using.
Shake each bottle once or twice daily to help the sugar dissolve. When it’s mostly dissolved, your shrub is ready to use.
Makes 1 1⁄2 cups
