Turkey Free Classic Apple Shrub
Tart, sweet, and warmly spiced, this apple shrub is a craft cocktail-style syrup that transforms a handful of pantry staples into something genuinely special. Diced apples slowly macerate in sugar until they release their juices into a glossy, fragrant syrup, then cinnamon, cloves, and ginger deepen the flavor over a second cold steep. The result is a drinking vinegar concentrate with real complexity — bright acidity balanced by warm spice and natural apple sweetness. Stirred into sparkling water over ice, it's a refreshing, non-alcoholic sipper that feels far more sophisticated than anything you'd find in a bottle at the store. The two-day process is almost entirely hands-off, just a bit of stirring and patience, and the payoff is a jar of shrub that keeps in the fridge for up to three months. Every single ingredient here is straightforward and plant-based, so there's zero guesswork about what's actually in your glass.
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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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