Name: My Easy Fruit Shrub or Drinking Vinegar
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh soft fruit of your choice (berries, peaches, apricots, mango, etc.) peeled and sliced if appropriate; 2 cups vinegar of your choice (apple cider, plain white, white or red wine vinegar); 2 cups white, granulated sugar; *¼ cup fresh basil or mint leaves (optional)

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups fresh soft fruit of your choice (berries, peaches, apricots, mango, etc.) peeled and sliced if appropriate
2 cups vinegar of your choice (apple cider, plain white, white or red wine vinegar)
2 cups white, granulated sugar
*¼ cup fresh basil or mint leaves (optional)

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Instructions

Place berries or fruit slices, and herbs if using, in a clean glass container (a medium-sized bowl or jar with a lid)
Stir in sugar, then pour vinegar over the top. Stir to combine and dissolve sugar. (You can actually cook the fruit, vinegar, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot on the stove if you’d like, then pour into your container, but it really isn’t necessary.)
Cover the prepared fruit and vinegar mixture and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 days or up to 4 weeks. (The longer it sits, the more intense the fruit flavor.)
When your shrub is ready, place a fine mesh sieve over the top of a large bowl. Pour shrub into sieve. Using the back of a wooden spoon, press down on the fruit to release even more juice. Discard the leftover fruit solids or save for another purpose.
Wash the sieve. Line it with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and pour the shrub syrup through the sieve into a bowl once, to catch any remaining residue or seeds.
Use your fruit shrub as a base for mocktails and cocktails, or drink it straight, served over ice. Leftover fruit shrub can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.