Cranberry Apple Shrub
This cranberry-apple shrub has much in common with the“drinking vinegars” once popular for their cooling effects in the days before ice was as common as...well, ice. Today, the sober-curious may enjoy shrubs served with soda water while the rest of us turbocharge with sparkling wine.This recipe first appeared in Season 1 of Good Eats: The Return.
ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes minutes
TOTAL TIME: 7 days days 20 minutes minutes
Yield: 1 quart
- 1 medium Fuji apple, seeded and cubed
- 1 1/2 cups cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 15 sage leaves
- 2 (4- to 5-inch) rosemary sprigs, needles only
- 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
- 1 lemon, rind only, scraped clean of pith
- 1 orange, rind only, scraped clean of pith
- Prosecco, other sparkling wine or seltzer, for serving
Puree the apple, cranberries, vinegar, sage and rosemary needles in a blender on high until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Place the sugar and lemon and orange rinds in a quart-sized glass jar and pour the puree over top.
Tightly seal the lid and vigorously shake. Let sit in a cool, dark place for a week, turning the jar over once a day.
Strain the shrub through a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a large bowl, pressing on the solids to release as much liquid as possible. Discard the leftover pulp and store in a clean, quart-sized glass jar.
To serve, combine 1 ounce of the shrub with 3 ounces prosecco or other sparkling wine. For a no-alcohol treat, swap the prosecco with seltzer water.