beverage

Juicy summer peaches are combined with lemongrass, apple cider vinegar, and honey to create a delicious lemongrass peach shrub. This vegetarian and gluten free drinking vinegar can be paired with sparkling water for a simple and refreshing mocktail!

When peach season finally arrives, it’s a momentous occasion. Although to be quite honest, I feel that way about any of the spring/summer fruits when they finally come into season. With peaches, the first round or two from the market are delicious but not yet full of that sweet, juicy nectar that screams summer. The second round of peaches I bought last Saturday not only had beautiful rosy skin but the juiciest yellow flesh I’ve tasted since last summer. To be honest I didn’t make grand plans for baking or cooking with them because they are best enjoyed in their purest form.

The past few weeks I’ve had a hankering for a shrub so I decided to use a couple of my peaches from the market and some lemongrass from my garden to make one. The first time I made a shrub was with Lauren in a collaborative blog post we did late last summer. Since then I’ve played around with shrub-making and have settled on a rough ratio of ingredients you’ll see below. Shrubs are pretty forgiving so if you don’t have lemongrass, use another herb like basil or mint. I used it because I have some planted in the garden and it’s growing like crazy. Side note — I highly suggest planting it if you leave here in Houston. Not only does it grow well and smell amazing but it’s a natural mosquito repellent 🙂

Maybe you’ve made it this far in the post and are like hey, what the heck is a shrub (other than a bushy plant thing)?! Shrubs are a mixture of fruit, vinegar, and typically some sort of sweetener. After the mixture has infused for a few days, the fruit solids are strained out leaving you with a drinking vinegar. Drinking vinegars are great for the digestive system and the overall health of your gut. Plus, they give you a non-alcoholic option that is refreshing without inducing what I like to call the booze sleep. Though you can drink shots of a shrub straight up, it works really well in various mocktails and cocktails. Personally I like with a little sparkling water though you can get creative as you like 🙂

Lemongrass Peach Shrub

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• Author: Courtney West
• Total Time: 48 hours
• Yield: 3-4 drinks
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Juicy summer peaches are combined with lemongrass, apple cider vinegar, and honey to create a delicious lemongrass peach shrub. This vegetarian and gluten free drinking vinegar can be paired with sparkling water for a simple and refreshing mocktail!

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Ingredients

• 1 heaping cup diced peaches (2–3 peaches)
• 2–3 stalks of lemongrass, roughly chopped
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• sparkling water for serving

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Instructions

Put the apple cider vinegar in a sauce pan and set it over medium heat to begin warming.

Add the lemongrass to a clean quart-sized jar then bruise it with either a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon. Add the peaches and honey then mash with the muddler until the fruit is broken down. Once the vinegar is beginning to produce steam, pour it over the fruit and honey mixture. Allow the shrub to cool for 30 minutes, then place a lid on it, shake it a few times, and park it in the fridge for at least 24 hours. For this batch of shrub I let mine sit for 48 hours.

When you are ready to use the shrub, strain out any of the fruit solids then discard or compost them. Mix the shrub in a 1:1 ratio with sparkling water to enjoy. If you’d like to go from mocktail to cocktail, add a shot of your favorite spirit.

Makes enough for 3-4 drinks.

Notes

• If you’d like to make your shrub vegan, you can use an equal amount of maple syrup or granulated sugar in place of the honey

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Steeping Time: 24-48 hours
• Category: drink