Summer Peach & Lemongrass Shrub (Drinking Vinegar Recipe)

This summer peach and lemongrass shrub is a bright, vinegar-infused drinking syrup made with juicy peaches, aromatic lemongrass, apple cider vinegar, and honey. A refreshing seasonal shrub, it’s delicious mixed with sparkling water for a simple mocktail or used as a cocktail mixer on hot summer days.

An Easy Peach & Lemongrass Shrub that Captures the Flavor of Summer!

As soon as peach season rolls around, I stock up so I can make this shrub! It comes together with just 4 ingredients and after resting for a couple of days in the fridge, it’s ready for whipping up easy and refreshing summer mocktails and cocktails. I often rely on shrubs to use up summer fruit before it goes bad because I almost always buy wayyy too much. They’re also a great way to preserve the flavor of the season, like I did with this dewberry version.

This peach shrub, also referred to as a “drinking vinegar”, is sweet and tangy with a hint of aromatic flavor from the lemongrass. It yields the easiest and most refreshing mocktail when mixed with some sparkling water. And, if you have a crowd to serve, you can very easily double or triple the batch to make a pitcher mocktail or cocktail for a summer gathering.

Key Peach Shrub Ingredients

We’re relying on just 4 ingredients here: fresh peaches, fresh lemongrass, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Since this is a limited ingredient recipe, this is not the place to use frozen peaches. I highly recommend using fresh summer peaches for the best result. If they taste good, the shrub will be good! I love the flavor of honey here, but you can also use sugar for a more budget-friendly option or to keep it vegan.

Making and Steeping Your Peach Shrub

You’ll be shocked how easy it is to make your own shrub at home. In order to ensure the lemongrass infuses its flavor into the shrub, you’ll bruise it first. Then, you’ll add it to a jar along the peaches and honey. Time for muddling! This is arguably the most important step because it starts to extract the juice from the peaches.

Once the peaches are mostly broken down, stir in the vinegar. That’s it! The shrub will go into the fridge to infuse for 24-48 hours. At this point, you’ll strain out all of the solids. The strained liquid is your shrub! Keep it in the fridge and aim to use it within a month (though it can typically last much longer).

How to Use Your Shrub

There are several ways you can use your peach drinking vinegar! Here are a few ways I’ve enjoyed using it over the years:

• Combine it with sparkling water for a super easy and refreshing summer mocktail. If you like your drink on the sweet side, go with half shrub, half sparkling water. For a less sweet flavor, go with 1-2 ounces of shrub with 3-5 ounces sparkling water and plenty of ice.
• Add an ounce of the shrub to a tequila and soda, gin and soda, or vodka and soda for a delicious and unexpected summer cocktail.
• Combine it with extra virgin olive oil for an incredibly easy vinaigrette. I recommend a 3:1 ratio of oil to shrub for a balanced flavor. I think it would be especially delicious drizzled over a simple caprese salad or this summer panzanella salad.
• Use it to sweeten iced tea! It’s especially delicious paired with black tea and herbal hibiscus tea.

More Refreshing Summer Sips

If you don’t feel like waiting 48 hours on this shrub, try this strawberry grapefruit mocktail! It’s ready in about 5 minutes with just 5 ingredients. If you’re aiming for hydration plus cooling power, this watermelon slush with coconut water and basil is perfect. Want to sneak some veggies in? Try this cucumber basil soda!

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