Lemon Rosemary Shrub

Lemon Rosemary Shrub is just the latest chapter in my fascination with “drinking vinegars.” 

The pattern for making shrubs is simple. Begin with sugar, flavoring, and water – in other words a flavored simple syrup – add good vinegar, and you’ve got a shrub. Most people top off the shrub with alcohol or carbonated water (either club soda or seltzer) or both. I like ice in mine too.  

My first shrub, spiced pineapple, got high praise from my family, especially when my son Liam added rum to the non-alcoholic version I offered him. I’ll have another pineapple shrub to share later in the summer. In the meantime, I’ve been experimenting with other ingredients as the flavor base.

Shrubs take several days to make, as they have to mellow in two or three stages. However, they are simple to put together and none of the preparation is time consuming.  If you are patient, the reward is considerable. They are great party drinks – put out the pitcher of drinking vinegar and let your guests add the other elements (ice, alcohol, and/or carbonated water) according to their own taste. 

This month, it is my turn to host Progressive Eats. In summer, I love using fresh herbs, preferably whatever we are growing on our deck. So it was easy to decide that “Herbs Every Which Way” would be this month’s Progressive Eats theme.

With shrubs on my mind and our rosemary thriving, my contribution was almost fated to be this Lemon Rosemary Shrub. The idea for it began during a conversation with our cousin Zach, one evening after dinner. As we sat at the table, swapping recipe ideas, I mentioned the concept of a shrub that included herbs from our deck. We settled on rosemary as the herb of choice and he began describing the ingredients and preparation for a lemon rosemary shrub. While I did play around a bit with proportions and directions, the concept is his.

The lemon is dominant in this version, but that’s to be expected. The rosemary kind of sneaks up on you – in a good way. Keep in mind that the strength of the rosemary aroma and flavor in the drink depend entirely on the particular qualities of the herb you’re using. That makes this recipe more art than science. Taste as you go, and don’t hesitate to let the fresh rosemary and your own tastebuds be your guide.

The vinegar adds tartness. It is the ingredient that makes this drink a shrub and not simply a rosemary-scented lemonade. I’ve specified a Prosecco or Champagne vinegar because those are tart without being medicinal. You may find another white wine vinegar that works as well, but don’t substitute ordinary white vinegar.

Zach recommended using a London Dry gin for this shrub and he proposed Tanqueray. Although it would have been fine to simply rely on his advice, I couldn’t resist checking other options. I found a helpful Serious Eats article on good gins under $20 and was seriously considering going for one of the lower-priced gins that the author, Michael Dietsch, likes. However, at the end of the article, Dietsch casually mentions that he would buy Tanqueray, but for its price. When I found it at a good price, I decided to go for it. (Dietsch priced Tanqueray at $26-27 in 2015, while my local store sells it now for about $21.)

I was happy with that choice. To my taste, it is smooth and well suited to a lemon-based shrub. Still, as you’ll see in the recipe, my tendency is to go light on the gin if you’re making this shrub into a cocktail. The 4 (gin) to 1 (shrub) ratio in this recipe was tilted way too far to the alcohol in my view. 

One last note on shrubs. Researching Michael Dietsch, I discovered that he wrote a well-reviewed book on shrubs. I don’t know anything more about it than the reviews, but they were enough to pique my interest. It’s not surprising that there is a whole book of shrub recipes. My only question is whether I should consult it before or after I develop my own shrub repertoire. 

 

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. Our menu this month features all dishes that include our favorite herbs! We’ve got a great mix from a cocktail to desserts; all recipes showing just how versatile these garden favorites can be! Hosting this month is Laura from Mother Would Know.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.

Summer Herbs Every Which Way

Cocktail

• Lemon Rosemary Shrub Cocktail from Mother Would Know

Appetizer

• Rosemary Potato Chips with Herb Aioli from The Red Head Baker

Main Course

• Mayo-Free Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Lemon and Herbs from Healthy Delicious
• Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce (Gluten-Free) from The Heritage Cook

Side Dishes

• Mexican Chopped Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Mexican Green Goddess Pasta Salad from Pastry Chef Online

Dessert

• Rosemary Lemon Shortbread Cookies from Creative Culinary