What's old is new again. Drinking vinegars, a vintage style of drink once considered a healthful tonic or a useful way to preserve a bounty of fruit, are back in a big way.
Whether you call them shrubs (a name derived from the Arabic sharbah, which means "a drink"), squash, switchels or infusions, these refreshing nonalcoholic, fermented syrups are made from lushly ripe (or imperfect) fruit, sugar and vinegar. Fresh herbs or other aromatics, like ginger root, citrus zest and whole spices, can add complexity.
Steeping these mixtures for several days allows the flavors to bloom, creating balanced sweet-sour mixers that are as well suited to an icy pour of sparkling water as to a splash of rum. And creative bartenders are reaching beyond bitters to fermented shrubs to rev up cocktails. A fanciful margarita, boosted by a luscious sweet and sour blackberry-lime syrup and rimmed with a lime-spiked herb salt, will brighten any party.
The methods for making shrubs can vary, depending on the ingredients. My favorite way is the least complicated, which works beautifully with berries: a cold-brew mix of equal parts fruit, sugar and vinegar. First, muddle or lightly mash the fruit — the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher works well — in a large bowl, then transfer it to a large glass canning jar. Mix in the sugar and pour the vinegar over it all, then tightly seal the jar and give it a good shake. The sludgy-looking mix can be strained within 24 hours, but I like to refrigerate it for up to four days. I'll swish the jar around a bit whenever I open the fridge. Once the solids are strained out, the resulting thickened sweet-tart syrup is like liquid gold that can be used to flavor sparkling water or cocktails, and even as a base for marinades and vinaigrettes.
To really jazz up the most basic fruit-sugar-vinegar combo, experiment with adding whole spices or dried herb or flower petals. Simmering them in equal parts of water and sugar will create a simple syrup that's then mixed with vinegar and mashed ripe fruit. As with the cold-brew process, wait a few days for the hydrated ingredients to fully infuse their taste and color into the mix.
Some like to toss the fruit and sugar in a large sterilized container and then pour in boiling vinegar to cover it all. This can be fermented for several days, safely, at room temperature before straining. But all in all, the cold process is the simplest, with a guarantee of creating delicious syrups with little effort.
We're still in the heart of fruit season — blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, plums and apricots are abundant, while early fall melons and grapes are peaking. Play with what you can buy at farmers markets or harvest yourself, and tweak the sweet-tart ratio to suit your personal taste.
The world of sweeteners and vinegars is vast; don't limit yourself to plain sugar and cider vinegar. The versatility and stability of shrub syrups — the acidity of vinegar allows them to be made well ahead of serving — make them the perfect off-the-shelf drink mixer.
