Dry January? Make your taste buds tingle with a fruit shrub recipe: cranberry-orange-pomegranate-clove or pineapple-rosemary-ginger.

When Seltzer Won’t Cut It

Of course, Dry January and resolutions overall can only be truly effective if the habits we learn from them are sustainable for the long term. Rather than seeing this as a month where you aren’t allowed to drink alcohol, it could be more beneficial to reframe your goal as a month where you can try out different recipes for new delicious beverages. A little bubbly water can go a long way, but when your taste buds are craving something more substantial, adding a delicious fruit shrub might be the way to go.

Enter the Shrub: A Tasty Non-Alcoholic Beverage

If you haven’t heard, a shrub is a sweetened, vinegar-based syrup often infused with fruit, herbs, and other spices. The term “shrub” is borrowed from the Arabic word sharāb meaning “to drink.”

Another term for shrub is “drinking vinegar,” which is an apt description; we’d also like to add “delicious and fruity” as well as “offers a satisfying bite.” They are packed with probiotics, digestive enzymes, and antioxidants.  One of the many reasons people turn to shrubs during Dry January is because of what you might call the “adult taste” of a shrub: the bite, or kick, of the combination of fruit and vinegar can scratch the itch when your taste buds are craving a cocktail. Please note that if you ferment this longer than we do, there is a good chance alcohol will be made, so longer is not better for our goal this month. More on fermentation in this great YouTube video with John Kohler: https://youtu.be/nz9SZ23WuGQ.

In our test kitchen we tried out two shrub recipes: one featuring cranberries, oranges, and pomegranates, and another made up of pineapple and ginger juice. We used stage one to grind the ingredients. All of it, spices, peels, cores, everything. This increased the surface area of the produce and we found that this step cut the fermentation process from three days to two.

Pro tip: Some recipes call for distilled white vinegar or white wine vinegar for a shrub, but we prefer to use apple cider vinegar, which has been shown to have many health benefits.

Directions 

1. Grind cranberries, oranges, pomegranates, and cloves (no grid plate needed).
2. Scoop mash into a jar and add agave, let sit for 2 days.
3. Strain, wrap contents and press.
4. Add one part to 8 of apple cider vinegar (¼ cup to 2 cups to start)

Pro tip: use extra orange peel to garnish your glasses!

Pineapple-ginger-rosemary shrub

Ingredients

• pineapple
• ginger
• rosemary
• agave
• apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Grind pineapple, ginger, and rosemary (no grid plate needed).
2. Scoop mash into a jar and add agave, let sit for 2 days.
3. Strain, wrap contents and press.
4. Add one part to 8 of apple cider vinegar (¼ cup to 2 cups to start)

How Will You Drink Your Shrub?

Shrub syrup tastes delicious as a mocktail: try it with sparkling water, tonic water, ginger beer or ginger ale. If you leave the syrup for a few more days, the flavor will mellow out, and you can pour it over ice.

(And yes, it tastes pretty great with vodka, gin, and bourbon, too, but that’s not what we’re here for, is it?)

How Long Will a Homemade Shrub Last?

If you store your shrub in an airtight container, it should not need refridgeration. That said, if you have space in your fridge, jeeping the shrub cool won’t hurt it.

Once you open the shrub, it’s a good idea to keep it in the fridge. It should last anywhere from 6 months to a year.

Cold Press Juice will Do the Trick

At PURE, we pride ourselves on trying a wide variety of tasty cold-pressed juices and sharing the recipes with you. If you’re looking for additional tasty beverages to get you through Dry January, check out these recipes: orange chili matcha cocktail, powerhouse cranberry pomegranate juice, and ginger turmeric orange lemon immunity shots.

Health Benefits

cranberries: made up of 90% water, cranberries are mostly carbs and fiber and contain such crucial vitamins as vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, and manganese. Research has linked cranberries to a lower risk of urinary tract infections, improved immune function, the prevention of certain types of cancer, and decreased blood pressure.

oranges: packed with phenolic compounds like hesperidin and naringenin, oranges are chock full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Oranges are also a great source of vitamin c, fiber, folate, potassium, calcium, and thiamine.

pomegranates: great for digestion, pomegranates are full of vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and folate. The nutrients in pomegranates protect the body from Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis, promote a healthy memory, and can increase sexual and athletic performance.

cloves: the flower buds of the evergreen clove tree, cloves are a sweet spice used in traditional medicine. Evidence has shown cloves have several health benefits, including helping to stabilize blood sugar levels and supporting liver health.

pineapple: delicious and packed with antioxidants, pineapples are known for their anti-inflammatory properties that can aid in a healthy immune system. Pineapples are a  rich source of Vitamin C, manganese, and the compound bromelain, a group of digestive enzymes that may help break down protein and aid with digestion and could help fight against cancer.

ginger: ginger contains gingerol, considered to be powerfully medicinal and anti-inflammatory, prevents nausea and can help treat chronic indigestion, and may also drastically lower blood sugar levels and heart disease risk factors.

rosemary: regularly consuming rosemary may lead to a healthier immune system, thanks to its high antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Rosemary is high in manganese, which helps injuries heal faster by aiding the blood-clotting process, and also contains carnosic acid, which is known to slow the growth of cancer cells.

apple cider vinegar: a centuries-old, popular home remedy, apple cider vinegar offers antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, and there is evidence to show it can also aid in weight loss, lowering blood sugar levels, reducing cholesterol, and improving the symptoms of diabetes.

Sources

Are Cranberries Healthy? 6 Surprising Benefits

Oranges: Nutrients, Benefits, Juice, and More

Pomegranate: 10 Health and Nutritional Benefits

Pineapple: 8 Impressive Health Benefits

11 Proven Health Benefits of Ginger

6 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, Backed by Science

8 Surprising Health Benefits of Cloves

6 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, Backed by Science

Medical Disclaimer

PURE Juicer is a juicing company. We are not doctors or medical experts. All content and information on this blog and website is for informational and educational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice, and does not establish any patient-client relationship by using this website.

Although we strive to provide accurate general information, the information presented here is not a substitute for professional advice. You should not rely solely on this information. Always consult a professional in your area for your health questions and concerns before making any professional, legal, medical, financial, or tax-related decisions.