This Centuries-Old Mixer Is The Key To Next-Level Mocktails

With the popularity of non-alcoholic drinks in full swing, there's more interest than ever in uncovering intriguing new mocktails. And like the trend of resurrecting Prohibition-era drinks, the past can hold forgotten liquid secrets for booze-free concoctions. Such a mocktail candidate forgotten by time is a shrub.

Composed of an aromatic vinegar, fruit juice, and sugar, this centuries-old mixer brings a tangy, bright, and fruity character to a mixer, whether a seltzer, club soda, or tonic water. Dating back to at least the 17th century, syrupy shrubs were common across the United Kingdom and British New World colonies. The mixture functioned with several purposes: to save fruit harvests, curtail scurvy on the seas, and offer a substitute for citrus juice. Not to mention it serves as a delicious beverage, popular as a booze-free option until the 20th century.

Best of all is the shrub's open-ended composition. Any fruit, spice, herb, or combination of such elements that translates in a jam works in drink form. Plus, you can mix and match with varying vinegars, too, whether it's a bold dose of balsamic or a gentler rice wine vinegar base. Just avoid overly acidic white vinegar to reel in the tartness, and you'll discover a breadth of delicious pucker-worthy drinks.

Although the creation of refrigerators trimmed shrubs off of home shelves, it's a flavor-packed beverage worth rediscovering. During its heyday, the beverage base strongly intertwined with drinking culture. Some shrubs were mixed directly with spirits like rum and brandy, or alcohol liqueurs, yielding complex sippers. However, during the 19th century shrubs also enjoyed popularity sans liquor, making them an intriguing early mocktail in drinks history.

Just note that most vinegar bottles, such as red wine vinegar, contain alcohol in trace amounts; a maximum of 2% ABV, but oftentimes less. Once combined with other ingredients, the final shrub-based beverage won't be strong enough to generate a buzz. Nevertheless, it'll nearly always fall into the non-alcoholic rather than alcohol-free umbrella of drinks.

Although when it comes to complexity, a shrub mixed into a sparkling water rivals any alcoholic spritz. Whether it's the combination of plum, cardamom, and white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar with tamarind and pomegranate, the potential crossover enthralls. So grab a jar, fruit, and a bottle of vinegar; a fun new mocktail awaits.