Overripe strawberries, apple cider vinegar, sugar and vanilla are all you need for this bright, pick-me-up drinking vinegar recipe for a hot summer day!
Overripe strawberries are perfect for this recipe
Imagine you’re an overripe strawberry, sitting in your punnet in the grocery store, kept company by a few other slightly overripe strawberries. You watch as people pick you up, make a face, and then put you back down. Sure, you may not be as perky as the young’uns anymore, maybe a little soft around the belly, and your skin a little darker, but you still got the goods, baby. Oh yes, you do. And rejection hurts. But today, I’m here to tell you that you need not fear anymore! I’ve got just the recipe that’ll make those people seek you and your overripe brothers and sisters out. This strawberry shrub recipe doesn’t care that you’re a little mushy, in fact this recipe thinks you’re even sweeter for it. So move over, all you young, perky, tart ones, this Vanilla Strawberry Shrub is here for the ones with experience. So, besides making strawberry jam or healthy strawberry smoothie or roasted strawberries, this is another fantastic way to make use of your mushy strawberries and reduce food waste!
What is a fruit shrub?
Shrubs (or drinking vinegars) are my new obsession this summer! No, I don’t mean that bush in your garden. I’m talking Fruit Shrubs. Or specifically, Vanilla Strawberry Shrub Syrup in this case. Before I get to the recipe, let me ask you a quick question. When you buy food produce, do you ever go for the slightly bruised ones? The ones that are a little softer and darker, but are also more fragrant and flavorful. This vanilla strawberry shrub recipe is going to give those overripe strawberries a very happy ending! A fruit shrub is a sweet, vinegary fruit syrup that’s going to light up all your senses when you drink it! It’s basically drinking vinegar. The vinegar gives it that acid component, and makes it an incredibly refreshing pick-me-up drink on a hot summer day. Fruit shrubs have a long and storied history, and their initial purpose was to preserve seasonal fruits long past their prime days. Now that summer and a bounty of fruits are upon us, this drinking vinegar recipe is one of my favorite summer recipes! It’s all you’re going to need to make the best use of all those fruits.
Recipe notes
The keys to a good fruit shrub are sweet, overripe fruits and a great vinegar base. However, not all fruits work as effectively as a shrub syrup. Berries and stone fruits like cherries, peaches, plums, apricots are my favorite (check out this peach shrub that I’ve shared as well). But I’ve also had success with other fruits with strong flavors like pineapple, kiwifruit, and even oranges. So go ahead and try different combinations of fruit and vinegar and see what works best for you. I’ve got a few shrub recipes to share with you before the summer is out. But in the meantime, let’s talk about this vanilla strawberry shrub syrup. Hands down, this is one of the bests drink that you’re going to taste this summer! Right up there with this rhubarb margarita, lychee mocktail, and pineapple chia fresca! 🙂 My fridge is stocked up with fruit shrubs these days, and the first thing Mr K mentions as he walks in through the door every evening is “fruit shrub”. I’m starting to think he might love his vanilla strawberry shrub more than me. Can’t blame him though. With this heat wave that’s rolling around, there’s nothing that’ll be as intensely flavorful and refreshing as a fruit shrub!
Storage
And like I said, since this drinking vinegar is made with sugar and vinegar (obviously), they have great staying power. It even gets better with time as the vinegar and the sweetness have had time to mingle. I’ve kept these fruit shrub syrups in sterilized air-tight jars for up to a month with no issues! But I prefer to keep them bottled in smaller jars, so that I can use them one at a time. With this vanilla strawberry shrub, I used strawberries that are overripe, look a little beat up, and not quite as pretty or shiny to photograph. I used empty vanilla pods to infuse these strawberries with vanilla flavor (another great way to use up something that could go to waste – alternatively, you could use fresh vanilla beans or extract as well). I thought about mixing the final syrup with balsamic vinegar (since that’s a classic flavor combo), but I wanted to keep that beautiful red color of the syrup, so I went with good quality apple cider vinegar in the end.
How to make strawberry shrub
When you serve this drink to your guests at the next party, the first thing that’ll go through their minds is – wow, what in the world just hit me? And then the second thing is – I’d love to have some more of that! The hot method involves cooking the fruit and sugar together to form a syrup. With the cold method, the chopped fruits and sugar are “marinated” together to allow the sugar to extract the fruit juices more naturally.
Which is the better way of making fruit shrubs?
Personally, I prefer the cold method. It does take longer but I love the results much better. The resulting flavors are much fresher, cleaner and crisp in this vanilla strawberry shrub syrup, or any other fruit shrub syrup that you make with the cold method.
Can you infuse flavor?
YES, YOU CAN! Here I went with a simple flavor combination of strawberries and vanilla. You can use fresh basil or thyme (LOVE those flavor combinations) for a warm herb flavor, or just add a touch of balsamic vinegar for another great depth of flavor. Or maybe even some orange or lemon rinds or black pepper? I mean why not? 🙂
Why I love this strawberry shrub recipe
The strawberry flavor in this drinking vinegar is so pronounced and fresh and sweet, but that one flavor profile that’s ever so prominent through out this drink is that of vinegar! The vinegar lends an almost effervescent quality to this vanilla strawberry shrub without ever overpowering the fresh Strawberry flavor. We have enjoyed this fruit shrub in so many ways – just mixed with ice cold water, or chilled club soda, and even with some vodka and/or cava for an amazing cocktail (say hello to your new Mimosa obsession!). You could even use this beautiful fruit shrub syrup as a sweet salad dressing (neat- not diluted)! However you drink this vanilla strawberry shrub, you’re going to absolutely love the flavors. So go ahead and take your summer sodas and cocktails to the next levels with this awesome drinking vinegar recipe!
