Rhubarb Shrub Cocktail / Mocktail
A shrub — also called a drinking vinegar — is one of the oldest beverage preparations in the Western kitchen, a method of preserving fruit with sugar and vinegar that dates back centuries and produces something with a complexity that no simple syrup can replicate. The acid from the vinegar brightens and sharpens the fruit flavor rather than muting it, and the resulting syrup has a tangy, vivid quality that makes it extraordinary in drinks, both alcoholic and not.
Rhubarb is the quintessential April ingredient — tart, fibrous, deeply pink, and available before almost anything else in the spring garden or at the farmers market. It has no sweetness of its own; left to its own devices it is almost aggressively sour. But that acidity is precisely what makes it extraordinary when properly balanced with sugar, and a rhubarb shrub captures all of that electric sourness and turns it into something layered and elegant.
The process takes a few days but requires almost no active work — the sugar and rhubarb do everything themselves through osmosis and maceration. What you end up with is a deeply colored, intensely flavored syrup that keeps in the refrigerator for months and makes every drink it touches more interesting. Make a jar in early April and you'll still be reaching for it in June.
The cocktail version here uses gin, which has an herbaceous, botanical quality that harmonizes with rhubarb more naturally than most spirits. Vodka is a clean substitute if you prefer. The virgin version — built on sparkling water with a slice of fresh ginger — is genuinely as good as the cocktail, not a consolation prize. The shrub carries the drink on its own.
Serves Makes about 1 cup shrub syrup (enough for 8–10 drinks) · 20 minutes active, plus 3 days macerating
INGREDIENTS
— For the rhubarb shrub —
300g (about 3 cups) fresh rhubarb, roughly chopped
200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
120ml (½ cup) good apple cider vinegar
— For the cocktail (per serving) —
45ml (1½ oz) gin
30ml (1 oz) rhubarb shrub
Sparkling water, to top
Ice
Thin slice of fresh rhubarb or a sprig of mint, to garnish
— For the virgin version (per serving) —
30ml (1 oz) rhubarb shrub
2 slices fresh ginger
Sparkling water, to top
Ice
METHOD
1. Make the shrub: combine the chopped rhubarb and sugar in a clean jar or non-reactive bowl. Stir well, cover, and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. The sugar will draw the juice out of the rhubarb through osmosis, creating a vivid pink syrup.
2. After 24 hours, strain out the rhubarb solids, pressing them firmly to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids.
3. Stir the apple cider vinegar into the rhubarb syrup. Transfer to a clean jar, seal, and refrigerate for at least 48 hours before using — the flavor mellows and deepens significantly over those two days. The shrub keeps refrigerated for up to 3 months.
4. For the cocktail: fill a glass with ice. Add the gin and shrub. Top with sparkling water and stir gently once. Garnish with a thin slice of rhubarb or a sprig of mint.
5. For the virgin version: muddle the ginger slices briefly in the bottom of a glass, then add ice. Pour the shrub over, top with sparkling water, and stir gently. The ginger adds warmth and botanical depth that takes the place of the spirit beautifully.
