Shrubs

Vinegar captures the aromas of herbs and spices better than water, which is why I infuse the vinegar with the herb or spice in one container, while the fruit and sugar macerate together in another container.

Generally speaking, there are two different methods for making shrubs—a hot process and a cold process. I started shrub making using the hot process, but I’ve largely switched over to the cold process. In the hot process, you put crushed fruit, sugar, and a little water into a pan on the stovetop. You cook the ingredients until they form a syrup. L

The philosopher Francis Bacon provides one of the earliest known references in English to sherbet, in 1627: They have in Turkey and the East certain confections, which they call servets, which are like to candied conserves, and are made of sugar and lemons, or sugar and citrons, or sugar and violets, and some other flowers; and some mixture of ambe

It turns out that vinegar is incredibly good at quenching your thirst when it’s hot out. Research shows that sour-tasting beverages—such as vinegar and lemonade—are better at stimulating salivation than are other drinks. A wet mouth helps you feel hydrated even after you’re done drinking.

Shrubs came from Turkey and Persia, in the form of sherbets. These days, we usually take sherbet to mean a frozen dessert. Originally, though, sherbets were beverages enjoyed by teetotaling Muslims, made of sugar combined with citrus juice, violets or other flowers, herbs, or nuts. Sherbet has been called the world’s first soft drink, arising in a

Take, for example, posca. Originally a medicinal tonic used in Greece, posca was a drink made of sour wine or vinegar, mixed with water and flavoring herbs. Roman soldiers and members of lower social classes drank it as an everyday beverage. (Members of higher social classes, of course, drank wine.) Water of the time was often undrinkable, spoiled