methods
Cranberry Shrubs
Cranberries! Of course they make delicious shrubs! As part of our October 2023 inquiry, I researched cranberry shrubs and unearthed a veritable storehouse of recipes and methods. Here we explore making cranberry shrubs five ways (including the way Martha Stewart does it)!
Overview
I experimented with five methods for making cranberry shrubs and two pear shrubs. I learned a lot! There are recipes at the bottom of the page for each method.
Basic Ingredients for Cranberry Shrubs
Fresh cranberries
Additional fruits (optional): e.g., pears, apples, citrus juice & zest
Sugar: white, brown, maple syrup, honey, turbinado
Herbs & spices (optional), fresh or dried: e.g., rosemary, thyme, sage, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorns, bay leaf
Vinegar: cider, white wine, red wine, white balsamic
Cranberry Shrub Flavor Combinations
Nerdy me can’t start a project without finding out about ALL the possibilities. Then, overstimulated and overwhelmed, I am frozen in place for a time, wandering around with a cup of cold coffee trying to figure out which combinations and methods to try. What to do? What to do? I saved you the trouble of researching (there is a searchable bibliography below as well) but not the trouble of figuring out which ones to try! Good luck!
Cranberries + white sugar + white wine vinegar
Cranberries + white sugar + white wine vinegar + mulling spices
Cranberries + apples + brown sugar + cider vinegar + mulling spices
Cranberries + white sugar + white wine vinegar + orange juice + orange zest + ginger
Cranberries + apples + turbinado sugar + cider vinegar + sage leaves + rosemary needles + lemon rind + orange rind
Cranberries + brown sugar + cider vinegar + vanilla
Cranberries + white sugar + cider vinegar + sage
Cranberries + white sugar + cider vinegar + orange peel + black peppercorns + star anise + bay leaf
Cranberries + turbinado sugar + honey + apple juice + cider vinegar + fresh thyme
Cranberries + tangerines + white sugar + tangerine zest + cider vinegar
Cranberries + unrefined sugar + water + white wine vinegar + cider vinegar + salt
Cranberries + white sugar + cider vinegar + orange slices + cinnamon sticks + fresh rosemary
Cranberries + white sugar + cider vinegar + water + cinnamon sticks + fresh ginger
Cranberries + white sugar + cider vinegar + water + allspice berries crushed
Cranberries + white sugar + cider vinegar + stick cinnamon + fresh rosemary + black peppercorn
Cranberries + Orange peel + white sugar + cider vinegar + whole cloves
Cranberries + white sugar + water + white balsamic vinegar + stick cinnamon + allspice berries or cloves
Method 1: Classic Hot Process
Step 1
Wash the cranberries and put them in a medium saucepan. Cover with water.
Step 2
Add the sugar and any other fruits and spices you are using (e.g., orange zest, orange juice, fresh rosemary).
Step 3
Stir and heat until hot; simmer gently until the cranberries burst then turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Step 4
Strain the mixture into a large bowl, pressing gently to express as much juice as possible without pushing the fruit through the sieve.
Step 5
Add vinegar(s) and stir.
Step 6
Bottle it: pour over a cocktail sieve placed in a funnel to remove more of the sediment. Cover and refrigerate. You can use it now, but it is recommended that you wait a few days for the flavors to marry and get happy.
Method 2: Cold Process with baked cranberries
I saw this method used a number of times in my research. Baking them in the oven pops the berries for cold shrubbing.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350.
Wash the cranberries and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. A few recipes called for drizzling honey over the berries and/or sprinkling them with salt. Up to you!
Step 2
Bake the cranberries for about 20 minutes until they burst.
Step 3
Transfer the berries to a clean 1 quart jar and add the sugar and any herbs, spices, or other fruits you are using. Stir it all together, cover and set aside for 2-3 days, stopping by to shake the jar whenever you think about it.
Step 4
After 2-3 days, strain the mixture into a large bowl, pressing gently to express as much juice as possible without pushing the fruit through the sieve.
Step 5
Add vinegar(s) and stir.
Step 6
Bottle it: pour over a cocktail seive placed in a funnel to remove more of the sediment. Cover and refrigerate. You can use it now, but it is recommended that you wait a few days for the flavors to marry and get happy.
Method 3: Cold Process with chopped cranberries
This method uses a blender, food processor or a knife to break up the cranberries so their juices can be exposed and released
Step 1
Wash the cranberries and put them into a blender or food processor and pulse them until they are coarsely chopped. You can chop with a knife if you don’t have a machine.
Step 2
Put the fruit into a clean jar, add any other fruits you like (e.g., chopped apples, pears, and/or citrus juice and zest) as well as any spices or herbs you are using, Add the sugar and stir well. Cover, and set aside for 2-3 days, stopping by to admire your shrub and shake the jar when you think about it.
Step 3
After 2-3 days, strain the mixture into a large bowl, pressing gently to express as much juice as possible without pushing the fruit through the sieve.
Step 4
Add vinegar(s) and stir.
Step 5
Bottle it: pour over a cocktail sieve placed in a funnel to remove more of the sediment. Cover and refrigerate. You can use it now, but it is recommended that you wait a few days for the flavors to marry and get happy.
Method 4: Cold Process with a bracing vinegar bath for the berries
In this method, the flavors are extracted from the fruit and spices by soaking them in vinegar rather than sugar, and adding sugar before bottling.
Step 1
Wash the cranberries and put into a clean jar. Add any other fruits you like (e.g., chopped apples, pears, and/or citrus juice and zest) as well as any spices or herbs you are using, Add the vinegar(s) and water and stir well.
Step 2
Cover, and set aside for 2-3 days, stopping by to admire your shrub and shake the jar when you think about it.
Step 3
After 2-3 days, strain the mixture into a large bowl, pressing gently to express as much juice as possible without pushing the fruit through the sieve.
Step 4
Put into a saucepan, add sugar(s) and stir to dissolve. Turn off the heat. Your mixture should be warm, not hot.
Step 5
Bottle it: pour over a cocktail seive placed in a funnel to remove more of the sediment. Cover and refrigerate. You can use it now, but it is recommended that you wait a few days for the flavors to marry and get happy.
Method 5: Martha’s Way
Hot Process without straining. Genius!
I love Martha Stewart. I mean, she’s so laid back about everything in the kitchen and there’s such a zen aesthetic. This recipe uses a hot shrubbing method with a twist: she doesn’t strain out the fruit, but puts the whole shebang in the fridge for making cocktails, and garnishes the cocktails with cranberries..genius!
Step 1
Wash the cranberries and put everything into a medium saucepan. Heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 2
Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely.
Step 3
Put everything into a clean jar and pop it in the fridge and let everything mingle for several days to 3 weeks.
Step 3
Use the liquid to flavor your beverages and garnish with the cranberries.
Step 4
By all means, try her Bourbon Cranberry Shrub Cocktail. Mix bourbon, cranberry shrub, seltzer water, and garnish with cranberries.
Method I
Cranberry Orange with Rosemary:
Classic hot process is ready to drink the same day.
Method II
Spiced Cranberry Apple Shrub
Cold method shrub…kind of…cranberries are baked before juicing in sugar for 2-3 days.
Method III
Cranberry Orange with Rosemary
Cold process. Cranberries are chopped before juicing in sugar for 2-3 days.
Method IV
Rosey Cranberry Shrub: Cranberry with Rosemary cold process. The fruit is soaked in vinegar for 2-3 days before adding sugar.
Method V
Cranberry Thyme, Martha’s Way
Cold process mostly. The cranberries are heated long enough to dissolve the sugar and slightly soften the berries
References
Bitterman, M. (2022, Nov. 18). Cranberry Shrub Cocktail. The Meadow. https://themeadow.com/blogs/recipes-by-the-meadow/cranberry-shrub-cocktail
Brown, A. (No Date). Cranberry Apple Shrub. Alton Brown. https://altonbrown.com/recipes/cranberry-apple-shrub/
Candice. (2020, Oct. 27). Cranberry Thyme Shrub. Proportional Plate. https://www.proportionalplate.com/cranberry-thyme-shrub-drinking-vinegar/
Castellano, S. (No Date). Cranberry Shrub with Black Pepper and Maple. With Food + Love. https://withfoodandlove.com/gin-black-peppercorn-cranberry-shrub/
Contributor. (2019, Jan. 3). Festive Cranberry Shrub with Apple Cider Vinegar. Food52. https://food52.com/recipes/78498-festive-cranberry-shrub-with-apple-cider-vinegar
Hansen, S. (2022, Nov. 23). Cranberry Shrub with a Cocktail and a Mocktail. Stephanie’s Dish. https://www.stephaniesdish.com/recipe/cranberry-shrub-with-a-cocktail-and-a-mocktail/
Harlowe. (2016, Feb. 22). Cranberry-Apple Shrub Recipe. Imbibe Magazine. https://imbibemagazine.com/recipe/cranberry-apple-shrub/
Jenkins, S. (2020, Jan. 18). Cranberry, Orange, and Rosemary Shrub Mocktail Recipe. Front Range Fed. https://www.frontrangefed.com/cranberry-orange-and-rosemary-shrub-mocktail/
Kick, K. (2023, Sept. 30). Cranberry Rosemary Shrub Cocktail (Delicious Holiday Cocktail Recipe). Good Life Eats. https://www.goodlifeeats.com/cranberry-rosemary-shrub-cocktail-with-bourbon/
Lebovitz, D. (2015, Nov. 12). Cranberry Shrub and Cranberry Shrub Cocktail. David Lebovitz. https://www.davidlebovitz.com/cranberry-shrub-and-cranberry-shrub-cocktail-recipe/
Lepkowski, E. (2022, Nov. 30). Tangy Cranberry–Black Pepper Shrub Cocktail Recipe. Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/thanksgiving-cranberry-cocktail-shrub-sparkling-wine-recipe
Lepowski, E. (2022, Nov. 7). Cranberry Tangerine Shrub. Simply Recipes. https://www.simplyrecipes.com/cranberry-tangerine-shrub-recipe-6825975
Michel, C. (2021, Nov. 4). Cranberry-Ginger Shrub. Country Living. https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a38094195/cranberry-ginger-shrub-recipe/
Nom, J. & Nom, L. (2023, June 6). Cranberry Orange Shrub Cocktail. Gastronom. https://altonbrown.com/recipes/cranberry-apple-shrub/
Queen, B. (2022, Sept. 26). Cranberry Shrub. Allrecipes. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/278294/cranberry-shrub/
Staff, Martha Stewart Test Kitchen. (2019, Jan. 17). Bourbon Cranberry Shrub. Martha Stewart. https://www.marthastewart.com/1095148/bourbon-cranberry-shrub
Staff. (2017, Jan. 23). Shrub Recipe and History from Neuman’s Kitchen. Neuman’s Kitchen Events and Catering. https://www.neumanskitchen.com/shrub-recipe-history-neumans-kitchen/
Staff. (No Date). Cranberry and Sage Shrub. Boston Organics. https://bostonorganics.grubmarket.com/recipes/sage/cranberry-and-sage-shrub
Staff. (No Date). Cranberry Vanilla Shrub. Beanilla. https://www.beanilla.com/blog/cranberry-vanilla-shrub-recipe