Shrub | Tonic
To those of you participating in Dry January in some way, good for you. I’m all for mindful eating and drinking, whether that’s initiated by a certain time of year or just a periodic look inside. In any case, as someone who enjoys entertaining guests and pretending to be a bartender, it’s important to have interesting and delicious options for those who aren’t drinking alcohol.
In all honesty, what I would consider a truly enjoyable “mocktail” is not an easy feat. Alcohol brings flavor, balance, and varying degrees of “burn”. Without some creativity and thoughtfulness, the result is sometimes just… juice. And hey! Juice can be good. No judgment here. But I want to consider some other options.
Shrubs are my secret weapon. I haven’t talked about them in a minute, but the short version for the unfamiliar is that they are sugar + vinegar + flavoring. And they can bring a TON of flavor, including a complexity that just isn’t matched by syrup + citrus. The vinegar also brings a bit of “the burn”, so it does a great job replacing alcohol in that sense and creates a true mocktail experience.
This recipe is so simple but SO good. Keeping shrubs around has its benefits, as does craft tonic water. For entertaining purposes, you can make many drinks in no time at all— and you can easily add 1.5-2oz of your favorite spirit (I’d recommend gin or blanco tequila here) for those who are imbibing.
Recipe
1oz grapefruit shrub (homemade)
~4oz lemon rose sparkling tonic (@drinksunwink, gifted)
Pour shrub into tall glass with crushed or cubed ice (this lovely #clearice is from @truecubes). Stir a few times to chill. Top with tonic water and stir 1-2 time to incorporate. Garnish with lemon twist. Cheers!!
