Got Rhubarb? Make a Shrub Cocktail!

• 

• 

When we moved into our home over twelve year ago, the prior owners had a big beautiful rhubarb plant growing in the backyard. This then 27-year old had absolutely no idea what do with rhubarb (or how to take care of it!), so most years we simply gave away the stalks. That poor same rhubarb plant has since been transplanted at least four times around our backyard. Despite the multiple moves, the plant continues to thrive. Little did I know it was a sign that I should have been making rhubarb shrub cocktails!

This past spring, while taking an evening stroll through the neighborhood, we happened past the home of a fellow first grade family. My son Sam was very interested in what fruits and vegetables the Smiths was growing in their raised beds (more about kids and gardening on the blog later this week!), which happened to include rhubarb. Sam proceeded to tell Mrs. Smith that we grow rhubarb too and Mrs. Smith explained that she liked to use her rhubarb to make “shrubs”. While walking back home, I asked Ryan “What’s a shrub?”. He shrugged his shoulders and we did not discuss it any further. 

Fast forward to Memorial Day weekend in Lake Chelan. My incredibly generous aunt Leslie who lives in Wenatchee, WA brought Mallory and I a large bunch of rhubarb stalks that she had picked from her own garden. She told us to us them for our blog. The pressure was now on…  

Aunt Leslie’s rhubarb made the 3+ hour car ride home with us from Chelan during which I researched what to make with rhubarb. I know that many people use rhubarb in baking. And I have also had some delicious strawberry rhubarb jam. But all of these ideas sounded much too complicated and time consuming given that I was preparing to head back of town shortly after getting home for our future sister-in-law’s bachelorette party. So, instead, I typed “rhubarb shrub” into Google and spent the remainder of the car ride falling down this rabbit hole. 

My research quickly taught me that shrubs are a broad category of “drinking vinegars,” made by combining sugar and vinegar to create a liquid product meant to be mixed with other ingredients and drank. I also learned that creating a shrub—a vinegar-based syrup—is a quick way to add sweetness and acid to any cocktail but can also be combined with soda for a nonalcoholic option.

During the drive, I found two recipes for rhubarb shrub that (a) didn’t look too complicated and (b) I happened to have all the ingredients for at home. One relied on mint and the other ginger to enhance the rhubarb flavor, but the recipes used very different preparation methods. Given the quantity of rhubarb Aunt Leslie had given to us, I decided to try both! 

• 

• 

• 

Rhubarb Shrub

Ingredients:

• rhubarb sliced crosswise
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• Couple springs of mint or ¼ cup of ginger cut in ¼-inch coins
• 1 cup red wine vinegar

Directions:

Quick Stove Top Method from Epicurious:

1. Combine 4 cups of sliced rhubarb, mint springs (clapped firmly between your hands once to release the essential oils) or ginger, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is completely broken down and strands are visible, about 20 minutes.
2. Using a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth, strain mixture into a bowl.
3. Pour the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and cook until liquid is reduced by approximately 1/3. 
4. Pour reduced mixture into a glass container. Let cool to room temperature, then chill.
5. The ginger-rhubarb shrub can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the refrigerator. 

Extended Counter Top Method from Bon Appetit:

1. Combine 2 cups of sliced rhubarb with sugar and salt in a large jar or container with an airtight lid (glass or plastic but avoid metal). If using mint, pick the leaves off the mint sprigs and clap them firmly between your hands once (this is to release the essential oils) then add to the container with the sugar and rhubarb. Or, instead of the mint, add your sliced ginger. 
2. Seal the jar and turn it upside down a couple of times. Now, let it sit on the counter for a few hours. (If it’s hot out, just an hour or so will do! The juices are drawn out of the rhubarb more quickly at higher temps.) You want to see a fair amount of liquid in the jar at this point. Put your jar into the fridge overnight.
3. Twenty-four hours after you first combined the sugar mixture with the fruit, add 1 cup red wine vinegar. (Or, if you are headed out of town like me, set a reminder on Alexa for your partner with copious notes written on a post-it note on top of the container about what vinegar to add and when.)
4. After adding the vinegar, leave it at room temp for a few hours, then taste it to see if it needs more vinegar (up to ¼ cup more). Turn the jar upside down a couple times, and put it back in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours. If you can, try to wait longer, up to two days more, so the flavors can develop further.
5. When it’s ready, strain out the solids and bottle it. It’ll keep in the fridge for six to eight weeks, but much longer if you keep it tightly sealed and save it for later use (i.e. you’re not exposing it to air by opening the container often).

After making your shrub, you can, of course, just top 1 oz. of shrub with some club soda or seltzer and enjoy a mocktail. However, we highly recommend that you use at least part of the rhubarb shrub to make the following very easy, but incredibly delicious, cocktail. Mallory, Ryan and I all preferred the rhubarb-mint shrub with the following cocktail recipe; however, this Epicurious cocktail recipe with the ginger variety was admittedly very good especially if you prefer gin over wine.  Cheers!

Rhubarb Shrub Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons (1 oz) rhubarb shrub
• 3 oz dry white wine or rosé 
• Sparkling water, club soda or tonic

Directions:

Into a wine glass, pour 2 tablespoons (1 oz.) rhubarb shrub and3 oz. some dry white wine or rosé. Add ice and top with a couple ounces of sparkling water, club soda or good-quality tonic.If you do not randomly have rhubarb growing in your backyard like me, while it is in season you can buy it right now at your local grocery store. I have seen it at QFC, Metropolitan Market and PCC. Admittedly, I may have just bought more because I quickly used up all of my crop.