MAKES 2-litre jar
• 500g fresh cherries, about 1/2 a jar
• 1 litre organic white wine vinegar
• about 500ml caster sugar by volume
Alternatives
cherry and rosemary; gooseberry; rhubarb and orange; elderflower; strawberry and black pepper; pine shoot; blood orange and lemon verbena; apricot and ginger
Cherry was my first shrub experiment. Wash whatever fruit you are going to use. I stoned a load of big fat cherries, about half a large Kilner jar full. Just tear them in half into a bowl, then mash them up either with your hands or a potato masher, crushing the flesh and getting all the juices moving. Add them to the jar, then add roughly the same quantity of vinegar to fruit. I don’t think you need to be super accurate. Seal the jar and shake well, then leave for 1–2 weeks, shaking the jar every few days. You want the maximum amount of fruit flavour to come out as possible.
Then it is time to strain the fruit mix and add the sugar. Strain it through some muslin or a sieve. It is fine if a bit of pulp stays in the mix, it’s just down to preference. Then add sugar to taste. I add about half as much sugar to liquid – some recipes say equal amounts, but I find this is far too sweet. I want to taste the fruit, not just sugar. If you have about 1 litre fruit vinegar then add about 500ml by volume of caster sugar. You don’t need any heat, just stir until it is dissolved, then it is ready to use.
To drink, I use 1 part shrub to 5 parts soda or water, or gin... but it is down to personal taste really. I’m a total vinegar-drinking convert now and I hope you feel the same.