A cider vinegar syrup cocktail is the perfect evening cool down. Enjoy with sweet melon and fresh herbs.
By Ruth Kirwan
A shrub can be one of two things- a syrupy cocktail mixed with rum, or an old-school vinegar-syrup based cocktail that research tells me was popular in colonial times. Fittingly, we drank these gorgeous cocktails on Fourth of July weekend.
Thyme and Cantaloupe Shrub Cocktail
Description
A cider vinegar syrup cocktail is the perfect evening cool down. Enjoy with sweet melon and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 small cantaloupe, very ripe
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 handful fresh thyme leaves
- 1.5 oz vodka
- 4 oz soda water
Instructions
- Remove the rind from the cantaloupe, seed it, and chop into a small dice. Toss with the vinegar and let sit overnight.
- The next day, whisk the sugar and water together until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Bring to a boil and let reduce by half. Add the cantaloupe and thyme and let simmer for one hour, stirring often.
- Strain out the cantaloupe and thyme, reserving the liquid for the cocktails. Combine 2 oz syrup with 1.5 oz vodka, and top with soda water. Serve poured over ice and add a sprig of thyme.
Notes
The cantaloupe syrup should keep for future use if kept covered in the fridge.
- Category: Cocktail
