Gelatin Free Classic Berry Shrub
Tart, fruity, and just a little funky in the best possible way, this berry shrub is a drinking vinegar syrup that belongs in every home fridge. It's built from fresh mixed berries, sugar, and apple cider vinegar — nothing more — so there's zero guesswork about hidden additives or animal-derived thickeners that can sneak into store-bought syrups and cordials. Many commercial fruit syrups and flavored drinks rely on gelatin as a clarifying agent or stabilizer, but this one skips all of that entirely by simply macerating the berries with sugar and straining them through a fine-mesh sieve. The result is a jewel-toned, intensely flavored concentrate that you mix with sparkling water over ice for a refreshing drink that feels genuinely special. A splash of fresh mint on top makes it look like something you'd pay too much for at a craft cocktail bar. The shrub keeps in the fridge for up to four weeks, so you can batch it once and enjoy it all month long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 2 cups fresh mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries), hulled and halved if large
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
For serving
- sparkling water, for serving
- ice, for serving
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the berries and sugar in a medium bowl. Use a muddler or the back of a fork to crush the berries thoroughly, releasing their juice and working the sugar into the fruit until a wet, jammy mixture forms.
- 2
Stir in the kosher salt, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to a glass jar. Refrigerate for at least 48 hours, stirring or shaking once or twice, until the sugar has fully dissolved and the mixture has released a deep, syrupy liquid.
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