Make at Home Mocktail Recipe

The Recent Rise of Mocktails

You may have noticed an additional menu item at restaurants - Mocktails, these are fancy drinks that look like they should contain booze but don't. Priced much higher than juices and sodas, and only 10% to 25% cheaper than actual cocktails, it seems to be a popular market that people are trying to cash in on with restaurants typically charge only about $12 to $15 for a spirit-free drink versus $14 to $16 for an alcoholic one.

I'm not one for gatekeeping information so I'm going to share the hit mocktail recipe I've perfected. I recently brought a bottle of this homemade lemon blueberry shrub to a birthday party and it was an absolute crowd-pleaser. Everyone loved it - well, except one person - but that was because he mistakenly tried to drink it like juice instead of treating it like a mixer. I'm sure anyone gulping down unadulterated Master of Mixes Margarita Mixer would have a similar reaction.

The reason why you can't drink a shrub like it is juice despite it being made from fresh fruits, is that it also contains vinegar.

.This one ingredient packs a punch and is the key to making the perfect faux alcoholic drink. I'm not surprised that restaurants do not include it in their mocktail repertoire, it functions similar to alcohol only in that you slow down and sip your drink instead of slamming it. At a restaurant, if I order a mock-jito I'm gonna drink it a lot faster than I would if it contained booze. So when I run out of my drink before the rest of my alcohol consuming companions do, perhaps I'll feel obliged to order another one.

So What's a Shrub?

Not a synonym for hedge or bush, shrub is the name for a fruit and vinegar based drink. The term dates back to 15th century but this type of beverage has been consumed for thousands of years - basically for as long as humans have been drinking wine (there are accounts of Ancient Roman soldiers drinking it for hydration and stamina).

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The word "shrub" comes from the Arabic sharāb (meaning drink). It originated as a way to preserve seasonal harvests from spoilage. With no refrigeration, keeping those blueberries from growing mold or getting eaten by pests was near impossible. Boiling a bountiful amount of fruit down to a syrup then dousing it in vinegar extended the shelf life of that fruit.

This preservation hack by early civilizations was monumental. Making the connection between the use of vinegar and prevention of rot saved lives. The Ancient Greek 'father of medicine', Hippocrates, prescribed vinegar to disinfect wounds.

Modern medicine has come a long way since then so don't start poring apple cider vinegar onto that paper cut just yet when there are far more effective treatments out there - including honey. So, does drinking vinegar still have health benefits today? Or is it just the current multi-billion dollar wellness trend being pushed by social media influences and corporate advertising?

The Benefits of Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Yes, its a great substitute for when you cant have a spirited drink, but drinking apple cider vinegar (ACV) does benefit your health. Its not the miracle cure that some people claim it is, but its not pure snake oil either.

The most credible benefits to drinking apple cider vinegar center around blood sugar and insulin control. Studies show that the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar slows down carbohydrate absorption in the stomach which helps blunt blood sugar spikes after high-carb meals and improves insulin sensitivity in general.

How Did You Learn to Make Shrubs?

Since shrubs are not as common as they were prior to the invention of commercial refrigeration and the mass-production of carbonated and caffeinated sodas; exposure to shrubs and learning how to make them is not easy to find. My introduction came from a workshop at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes, CA.

The South Coast Botanic Garden has numerous workshops throughout the year that members and non-members can attend. They frequently host hands-on culinary, sustainability, and botanical crafting events (I had the great pleasure of teaching kombucha brewing workshops here many years ago). Click here to check out their calendar of classes or go to https://southcoastbotanicgarden.org/classes/

I hope this post revives interest in the lost art of shrub making and though I do not know when the next workshop will be, here is my recipe for making a Lemon Blueberry shrub. Let me know in the comments if you have your own recipe, or if you think I should teach a workshop in shrub making.

Lemon Blueberry Shrub Mocktail Recipe