Pear Shrub

 This post marks a couple of “firsts” for us.  It’s our first time featuring a shrub, or drinking vinegar.  Also, given the historic origins of said concoction, we suppose that it qualifies as our first “Throwback Thursday.” And we are throwing way back. Like, “Colonial America” back.  In that era, shrubs were a popular means of preserving fruit and herbs through the off season.  They actually maintained their popularity until the advent of refrigeration, after which they basically disappeared from the landscape.  Today, thanks in large part to the craft cocktail movement, they are making a glorious comeback.

This particular shrub was inspired by a recent visit to Fond in Philadelphia’s East Passyunk district.  It’s a relatively small, bistro-style corner restaurant, but it knocks it out of the park in every category.  They boast a beautifully curated and prepared menu, fantastic service, a stellar wine list, and an inspired cocktail menu that is–for lack of a better phrase–dangerously drinkable from top to bottom.

 The inspirational culprit here is their Juni-Pear Collins featuring gin, passion fruit juice, thyme and a juniper-pear shrub.  It was sweet, tart and delicious enough to reignite Kyle’s obsession with shrubs from a couple of summers ago.  They were featured players in many a cocktail that season.  Sadly, they went undocumented as Allons-Eat! was just a twinkle in our collective eye.  Not to worry, though.  We assure you that we will be reviving those recipes–and the cocktails that featured them–in future posts.  Brace your livers.

The process of making shrubs is fairly straightforward.  You’re basically preserving fruit (usually berries, but we like to be creative) in a mixture of vinegar and sugar that has been heated to a boil, then poured over the fruit, cooled to room temperature, covered and refrigerated for 2-4 days.  The full four day “steep” allows the fruit flavors to develop fully, but we’ve never made it past the two day mark, so good luck with that. *sigh*

Once it’s ready, strain out the fruit and you, my friend, are good to go.  The traditional preparation calls for a 50/50 mix of vinegar and sugar, but that doesn’t leave much room in your glass for other sweet elements–like fruit juices or purées–thus running the risk of an overly sweet and ultimately less potable cocktail.  No one wants that.  We have found that a 4:3 ratio of vinegar to sugar works best.  It produces a light syrup that is wonderfully balanced between sweet and acidic, plays well with other ingredients, and lends a refreshing element to a whole host of cocktails.

This shrub was used in a Gin and Tonic to spectacular effect.  As a nod to the original cocktail at Fond, it was garnished with thyme sprigs and pear slices.  It had a short but happy life before it disappeared in a swirl of ice cubes and yummy sounds.

For a non-alcoholic option, add one part shrub to four parts club soda for a refreshing, homemade soft drink that also makes a wonderful digestif.  If you’re feeling extra fancy, you could also reheat the shrub and reduce it further into a thicker syrup that makes an ice cream topping that is as delicious as it is unconventional.  However you choose to enjoy it, it makes a welcome accompaniment to the warming temperatures.  Cheers to that.