A Midsummer Shrub
Fruity, tart, and a little bit sweet — the perfect refreshing drink for summer
I first had a shrub (the drink, not the plant) from a little trailer-turned-artisan-snowcone-stand in a postage stamp park on the Westside of Kansas City. Little Freshie's trademark was all-natural, from-scratch, imaginative syrup flavors at a time when everything was artificially flavored strawberry.
The year was pre-iPhone and Instagram, when you found out about tiny culinary adventures and other such things by word of mouth, and I made the trek downtown on a summer evening when the humid air carried fireflies and trills of cicada calls. When I saw "S H R U B S" prominently featured on the menu, I had to ask — it is a traditional, lightly sweetened, fruit-infused vinegar often served in sparkling water or as part of a cocktail — and try it, and I'd never had something so refreshing on a hot summer night.
In sync with this sunny season, I made a little shrub of my own, and I thought you might enjoy making one, too.
The key is to not overthink it. I used a little handful each of raspberries and blackberries, half of a California nectarine, a sprig of wild mint that we transplanted from beside the creek into our garden box, and one of my most fragrant roses for good measure and a little je ne sais quoi.
The result was lovely — tart and refreshing with that little bit of sweetness and bursting with jammy summer fruits and a touch of cooling mint. I think the rose added a perfect softness that tied it all together.
The Recipe
Wishing a very happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there, and a summer full of refreshing sips for the rest of us.
