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The Shrubarb Cocktail

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Photo by Chelsea Kyle
  • Active Time

    20 minutes

  • Total Time

    1 hour

Creating a shrub—a vinegar-based syrup—is a quick way to add sweetness and acid to any cocktail. The one used here uses tangy rhubarb and gets a slight kick from fresh ginger. Want a non-alcoholic version? Just skip the gin.

Ingredients

Makes 1 cocktail

For the ginger-rhubarb shrub:

2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1/4" pieces (about 6 cups)
1 (7-inch) piece ginger, unpeeled, cut into 1/4" coins (about 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups sugar

For each cocktail:

2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
Club soda (for serving)

Preparation

  1. For the ginger-rhubarb shrub:

    Step 1

    Combine rhubarb, ginger, vinegar, 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, 10–15 minutes.

    Step 2

    Using a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth, strain mixture into a glass container. Let cool to room temperature, then chill.

  2. For each cocktail:

    Step 3

    Combine gin, lime juice, and 1 1/2 ounces reserved ginger-rhubarb shrub in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice and shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled Collins-style glass, filling three-quarters full. Top off with club soda.

Do ahead:

The ginger-rhubarb shrub can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The shrub makes enough for 12 cocktails.

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  • Holy cow, this is tasteeeee! I haven't even had it in a beverage yet, either...just licked the spoon! Thank you for this.

    • Berger

    • Rossland BC

    • 6/3/2023

  • This is delicious as both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The leftover sauce is good as well on ice cream and yogurt and granola with milk. Question: can I preserve it by canning in a hot water bath? I'd like to use this as a way to preserve rhubarb for later use.

    • margiu

    • Alaska

    • 7/30/2017

  • Oh, the actual recipe does not include the amount of rhubarb shrub! It's 1.5 oz of shrub. You have to read the description to find the amount of shrub...

    • karimcgee

    • Portland, OR

    • 6/1/2017

  • This was delicious! Both my husband and I really liked this and I'm not a big gin fan! Super light and elegant, and definitely refreshing on a warm spring evening! And so so pretty in the glass - it is the lightest, blushiest pink!

    • karimcgee

    • Portland, OR

    • 6/1/2017

  • I love this drink and make it once a year when rhubarb is in season. However - I never get the yield it says I will - I have no idea what I'm doing wrong? I've made it tonnes of times, and it always makes about half of what it says it will (12 cocktails worth = 18 ounces)

    • chenster

    • 5/6/2017

  • I made this shrub for a sweet niece in her last days of pregnancy. The shrub was delicious mixed with sparkling water & later with lemonade. Alcohol free, of course. I kept the pulp & stirred some into my 3% yogurt every day. for breakfast. I loved that too. Next time I will strain the shrub for a few hours.

    • annecatherinecra

    • Sarnia, Ontario

    • 8/21/2016

  • Caffrerr - I have found that substituting vodka for gin works really well in most recipe -- I personally do not care for gin so I always use vodka instead.

    • btsoomscott

    • Huber Heights, OH

    • 5/22/2015

  • Can you make with vodka instead of gin?

    • caffrerr

    • 4/20/2015

  • Made on a whim, it looked so pretty in the picture. Was worth the trouble, the outcome was better than expected. For me it was a strong drink so I would decrease the amount of gin the next time.

    • GERRIE9

    • Kitimat, BC

    • 4/18/2015

  • Made these to go with our Easter dinner appetizer of white bean hummus. I thought they were going to taste very acidy with the cider vinegar but they were delicious. We used a splash of tonic water instead of the seltzer and thought it really punched up the flavour without taking away from the rhubarb syrup. Should have made 2 batches of the syrup as everyone wanted a second drink.

    • AWeekendChef

    • Vancouver, BC

    • 4/6/2015

  • Made these to go with our Easter dinner- yum! A couple of our guests don't drink and the non-alcoholic version was delicious for them and for the kids. Will definitely make again. My husband is a big fan of Rachel's Ginger Beer, and this is reminiscent of it.

    • kzinger

    • Seattle, WA

    • 4/5/2015

  • Kind of awkward that the recipe for the drink leaves out the Rhubarb / ginger syrup. Only when reading the directions is the amount provided. Hope to try it once rhubarb comes in!

    • hibbsmarsh

    • Philadelphia

    • 4/3/2015

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