Peanut Free Classic Apple Shrub
Tart, spiced, and quietly complex, this apple shrub is the kind of homemade pantry staple that makes you feel like a serious cook. The process is mostly hands-off — diced apples macerate in sugar until they release their juices, then apple cider vinegar and warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger are stirred in for a second long rest in the fridge. What you end up with is a concentrated syrup that's bright and tangy with just enough sweetness to balance it out. Stirred into sparkling water over ice, it tastes like something you'd order at a fancy cocktail bar, but it costs almost nothing to make at home. Every ingredient here is straightforward and naturally free of nut-related concerns, so there's no label-reading required — just real fruit, pantry spices, and vinegar doing their thing. The shrub keeps in the fridge for up to three months, which means you can batch it once and enjoy it all season long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 2 medium apples (about 12 oz), cored and finely diced
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
For serving
- sparkling water, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the diced apples and granulated sugar in a medium bowl and stir well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, until the sugar has fully dissolved into the apple juices and a syrupy liquid has pooled at the bottom of the bowl.
- 2
Add the apple cider vinegar, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and ground ginger to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for another 24 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
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