Blueberry Shrub Cocktails (3 Recipes Plus How to Make the Syrup)

Quick Summary: Three blueberry cocktails using homemade shrub syrup: a Blueberry Cabana, Blueberry Rhumba, and Blueberry Martini. Includes step-by-step instructions for making blueberry tarragon shrub syrup at home. Prep: 5 min per cocktail | Syrup: 30 min plus steeping

Jump to: RECIPES | What is a Shrub Syrup? | Using Shrub Syrups in Non-Alcoholic Drinks | How to Make a Blueberry Shrub Syrup | How to Serve | FAQ

Our Minnesota berry farm is small (23 acres), but it is amazing the amount of small fruit that you can grow on that size of an acreage (600 blueberry plants). Since blueberries are our main crop, we have tried out a LOT of blueberry recipes for both food and drink.

Using a blueberry shrub syrup in cocktails (and mocktails) is a delightful way to enjoy this healthy summer fruit. Shrub syrups were some of our best sellers at the farmers market.

A shrub syrup is essentially a fruit syrup with vinegar added, which sounds strange but tastes wonderful. The vinegar mellows during the process, leaving a complex, tangy sweetness that makes cocktails (and mocktails) sing. Here are three of my favorite blueberry cocktails using shrub syrup, plus instructions for making the syrup yourself.

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What Is a Shrub Syrup?

A shrub syrup (also called drinking vinegar) is a fruit syrup with vinegar added. It was popular in Colonial America when refrigeration wasn’t available and vinegar acted as a preservative.

The fruit, sugar, and marinating time mellow out the vinegar taste, leaving something tangy, sweet, and complex. Shrub syrups work beautifully in cocktails, Italian sodas, or just stirred into sparkling water.

Shrub Waters and Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Drinking ”enough” water is one of those things that is really important on a slow carb or high protein diet (also keto). It is also something that many people find difficult to swallow (so to speak). Plain water can be pretty boring after a while, and getting in the recommended 8 glasses can seem impossible.

An Italian Soda can be made with a can of sparkling water and a few tablespoons of a fruit drink syrup. A great alternative to buying sparkling water is to purchase a Soda Stream maker that makes carbonated water a liter at a time.

The Soda Stream option saves a lot of money if you use it much, and it is ultimately more environmentally friendly that individual bottles or cans.

Method for Making Blueberry Shrub Syrup:

Here is the “how-to” of making a blueberry shrub syrups, followed by some recipes of how to use it in cocktails.

Hot Method:

1. Juice the blueberries by simmering in a large pot over med-low heat with 1/4 cup water until they are soft and the juices run (about 15 min.).  You’ll get about 1 cup of juice for every 2 cups berries.
2. Strain the juice through cheesecloth or a jelly bag.  A piece of nylon tulle placed in a strainer works as well as cheesecloth and doesn’t take as long.In our kitchen we use a large juicer from Sweden called a Mehu-liisa, and it is wonderful if you plan on juicing a lot of berries.
3. Measure the juice and for every cup of juice measure out equal amounts of cups of pure cane sugar (not corn syrup)
4. Tie some sprigs of fresh tarragon (mint is also good) in a cheesecloth bag (around a cup of tarragon for every 4-6 cups of juice). Pour the juice into a large pot and add the bag of tarragon. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot, turn off the heat and let the tarragon infuse into the juice for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove the tarragon, add the sugar to the pot and bring to a boil, slowly, making sure all of the sugar is dissolved.  I usually add some fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice at this point, but it is optional.
6. Ladle into jars or bottles using a funnel; let cool and then refrigerate.  Stir in, to taste, to your favorite beverages

Cold Method

• Combine 1 part apple cider vinegar, and 1 part pure cane sugar to 2 parts berries (or any kind of fruit).
• Bring ingredients to a slow boil, to dissolve the sugar. Stir. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Strain into a glass bottle and let sit for a couple of weeks.
• This is the quick way to make a shrub syrup. When we make them for market we let the berries steep in the sugar in the refrigerator for 3 days, strain, add vinegar and cover. It’s a little more complex that way, but the quick way is fine.

How Much Shrub Syrup to Use in a Drink

 
The question I always get at markets is how much to use, and well……that depends really on how sweet you like your drink, which berry syrup you’re using, and what kind of drink you’re flavoring.

With an 8-oz glass of sparkling water I would probably add 2-3 Tablespoons of the Blueberry Tarragon Syrup.

Learn More about Shrub Syrups:

For a detailed primer on making shrub syrups:

• Mixology Basics
• Cocktails using a Tomato Shrub
• Cocktails using Raspberry Shrub syrups
• Cocktails using Cranberry Shrub syrups

By the way, these syrups are also great drizzled over fruit salads, pound cake, ice cream, or used with vinegar in a salad dressing.

FAQ

Check out more blueberry recipes from our farm, from sweet to savory to cocktails to preserves.

Enjoy!