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Lemon Rosemary Shrub | Mother Would Know

Lemon Rosemary Shrub

A delightful version of the "drinking vinegars" known as shrubs. This one combines lemon simple syrup with rosemary, Prosecco or Champagne vinegar, and a splash or two of gin and/or sparkling water/club soda.

Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Author Laura

Ingredients

  • 2 lemons (preferably organic), zest only
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • fresh rosemary - a 3-inch sprig or more
  • 1/2 cup Prosecco or champagne vinegar
  • club soda, seltzer or sparkling water
  • dry gin such as Tanqueray (optional)

Instructions

  1. Zest the lemons making thick strands of peel. Add to the sugar and mix with your hands or a fork until the peel is well-coated with sugar. Place the mixture in a closed container, shake it periodically to further mix the sugar and peel, and refrigerate the mixture overnight. 

    Lemon peel and sugar for lemon rosemary shrub. | Mother Would Know

  2. Add 3/4 cup water. Put the mixture in a saucepan on a low light. Heat it just until the sugar dissolves. Then take the mixture off the heat and remove the lemon zest without taking any of the sugar mixture with it. (If necessary, scrape the rind with a butter knife as you remove it.) Add a 3-4-inch stem of fresh rosemary and refrigerate the mixture in a closed container for a second day. If the rosemary has not yet added aroma to the mixture, add more rosemary and refrigerate for another day. 

    Adding rosemary to lemon sugar for lemon rosemary shrub. | Mother Would Know

  3. On the second or third day, add the vinegar and refrigerate for another 2 days. 

  4. Serve the shrub with or without ice cubes. Add a splash of club soda/seltzer/sparkling water or similar carbonation. To turn the shrub into a cocktail, add 1 ounce of gin, or more if desired. The cocktail version can be made with or without the splash of carbonation. If making a cocktail, the gin is typically added before the carbonation. 

    Lemon Rosemary Shrub | Mother Would Know

Recipe Notes

I like this hint from Fork + Plate for measuring ounces if you don't have a shot glass or jigger with a specified size. (Both shot glasses and jiggers can vary, some are as little as 1 ounce, while others are 1 1/2 or 2 ounces.) A tablespoon is about 1/2 ounce. So 1 ounce of gin equals 2 tablespoons of gin.  

The preparation time does not take into account the several days of mellowing for the mixture to fully develop taste after each addition.