BHA & BHT Free Classic Ginger Shrub
Shrubs — those old-fashioned drinking vinegars — are having a serious comeback, and this ginger version is a perfect place to start. Fresh ginger, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of sea salt are all you need to make a zingy, complex syrup that works beautifully in sparkling water or cocktails. The slow cold-process method is key here: bruising the ginger into the sugar and letting everything rest in the fridge for 48 hours coaxes out deep, spicy flavor without any heat. Store-bought flavored syrups and mixers are notorious for sneaking in synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT, so making your own from scratch is genuinely the cleanest route. Every ingredient in this recipe is whole and recognizable, which means you know exactly what's going into your glass. A tablespoon stirred into sparkling water over ice is refreshing and a little sophisticated, and the finished shrub keeps in the fridge for up to three months — plenty of time to work through a jar at your own pace.
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Learn more →Ingredients
16 servings
- 4 oz fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the sliced ginger and sugar in a medium bowl. Use a muddler or the back of a fork to press and bruise the ginger pieces firmly against the sugar, until the sugar begins to look wet and the ginger is fragrant, about 1–2 minutes.
- 2
Stir in the fine sea salt and the black peppercorns, if using. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 48 hours, stirring once after the first 24 hours, until the sugar has fully dissolved into a syrup and the ginger has released its juice.
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