Cranberry Shrub Cocktail

Shrubs! What a miraculous, often overlooked cocktail flavoring. Shrubs! Most excellent during the holidays. Shrubs! Tangy, sweet, sour, bitter. Shrubs!

The sourness of a shrub elevates our sense of taste similarly to salt, which is why this tart cocktail tastes bold yet clean and fresh. A one-two punch of tart bitterness with an aromatic soul. Enjoy with tequila, as shown here, with rye or bourbon -- or as a non-alcoholic mocktail with a touch of soda water in place of the alcohol.

Cranberry Shrub Cocktail

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Servings

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

1 minute

Author:

Mark Bitterman

Shrubs! What a miraculous, often overlooked cocktail flavoring. Shrubs! Most excellent during the holidays. Shrubs! Tangy, sweet, sour, bitter. Shrubs!

Ingredients

For the shrub:

1 cup water
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
2 allspice berries or whole cloves
1 ½ cup The Meadow White Balsamic Vinegar

For the cocktail:

2 ounces tequila reposado
3/4 ounce cranberry shrub
1 teaspoon Tasmanian Meadow Honey
3 dashes King Floyd’s Barrel Aged Aromatic Bitters
Rosemary sprig or a few cranberries, for garnish

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Directions

To make the shrub:

Combine the water, cranberries, sugar and spices in a medium saucepan.
Turn heat to high, wait until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat to very low and cook until the cranberries are soft. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Place a mesh strainer or colander on top of a large bowl. Pour the soft cranberry mixture through the strainer and allow the cranberry juice to strain into the bowl.
Use the back of a wooden spoon to get as much liquid from the cranberries as humanly possible.
Add the vinegar to the cranberry mixture. Taste to see if more sugar or vinegar is needed, and season accordingly. Pour into mason jars and refrigerate until happy hour!

To make the cocktail:

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
Add tequila (whiskey also works beautifully!), cranberry shrub, honey and bitters and give a good shake, about 30 seconds.
Strain into a coupe glass, then garnish with a rosemary sprig or a few cranberries and serve.

Cranberry Shrub Cocktail

Cranberry Shrub Cocktail