2-in-1 Cocktail Mix: Cranberry Shrub Recipe

If you’re a fan of the shrub, add the vinegar. Otherwise, skip it.

Either option makes a tart, delicious mixer for beverages both adult and non-alcoholic.
Add a splash to champagne, to pink up the bubbly. Make the worlds’s best Cosmo, or pair it with gin or bourbon and a splash of sparkling anything. Versatile, ruby, delicious.
Cheers.

Shrub Directions

1) Roast the cranberries

Spread the cranberries and a sprig of rosemary on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven until they are roasted through; about 15 minutes. The berries will burst and bleed out a little juice. Reserve a few especially fine looking roasted specimens for garnish, if desired.

2) Mix ingredients in a jar and...shake!

Place the cranberries in a jar and add the maple syrup, crumbled rosemary leaves, pepper, and the water.
If you like the vinegar sharpness of a shrub, add the vinegar at this time, too.

Shake shake shake shake shake.

 

3) Soak

The liquid turns color almost instantly, but a longer soaking time makes a stronger flavor; let the cranberry mixture sit for 4-24 hours, shaking occasionally to release the flavors.

4) Strain

Strain through a fine strainer, pressing gently to coax every last drop of ruby flavor from the roasted cranberries.

5) Bottle and store.

Bottle in an airtight bottle or jar and store in the refrigerator, where a shrub will keep for several weeks. Without the vinegar, the shelf life is safely closer to 2 weeks.

Use your imagination to add color and flavor to sparkling water, apple cider, champagne, cocktails, or anything your heart desires. A shrub makes a delightful addition to salad dressings; the syrup without vinegar can be poured over ice cream, baked goods, or roasted vegetables.

Cocktail Directions

Fill a glass (or handsome canning jar) with ice. Pour over it:
2 oz gin or bourbon
1 oz cranberry shrub.
Top with sparkling water.
Add 3 drops orange bitters, if desired.
Top with sparkling water, and garnish with a rosemary sprig and some roasted cranberries.
Enjoy!
(Check out these adorable cocktail picks! We picked them up from this sweet little feed store in Ben Lomond…)