Shrub - switchel - sipping vinegar
What in the world is a shrub?
Shrub is the colonial name for sipping vinegars; switchel is specifically used for the ginger version. It's also called haymaker's punch.
When pirates and sailors "discovered” Asia, this is one of the things they brought back with them – a delicious way to preserve fruit and keep water drinkable, no matter how “bottom of the barrel” it was.
Our drinking vinegars are made with simple white vinegar, cane sugar, and fruit. Why use white vinegar? The flavor of the vinegar changes the flavor of the shrub considerably, and we want our sipping vinegars to highlight the fruit, not the vinegar. Our exception is the Honey line (ginger, mint or lemon), which is as close to the colonial recipe we can get (apple cider vinegar, and honey for sweetening).
We make our shrubs using fruit from family farms in Oregon and Southwest Washington (Florida, California & Hawaii provide our warmer climate citruses and ginger).
