Gluten Free Classic Berry Shrub
Tart, fruity, and endlessly refreshing, this berry shrub is a drinking vinegar syrup that turns a simple glass of sparkling water into something genuinely special. The whole thing comes together with just four pantry-friendly ingredients — fresh mixed berries, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of kosher salt — making it naturally free of gluten at every step without any substitutions required. The process is mostly hands-off: you crush the berries into the sugar, let the mixture steep in the fridge for a couple of days, strain it, and stir in the vinegar. That slow maceration is what builds the deep, jammy complexity that makes this shrub taste so much more sophisticated than the effort involved. Served over ice with sparkling water and a sprig of fresh mint, it's bright and tangy with a subtle sweetness that keeps you coming back for another sip. It also keeps for up to four weeks in the fridge, so you can batch it once and enjoy it all month long — perfect for anyone who wants a fuss-free, crowd-pleasing drink that happens to work for nearly every guest at the table.
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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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