My latest obsession is shrubs or drinking vinegars. There is something super interesting and about this sweet and sour combination. If you’ve never had a shrub, they are fruit infused sweet vinegars. Shrubs are the perfect addition to a cocktail or just add a little sparkling water for a perfectly refreshing mocktail.

We are in the peak of citrus season. Our lemon tree is absolutely loaded. So, I’m looking for creative ways to use all this fruit. Yes, we are drinking a pitcher of lemonade everyday, but it’s fun to play with some new recipes and uses for all our fruit. This week I plan on making some marmalade and also drying some more lemon slices.

Lemon Lavender Shrub

• 6-8 lemons, cut in 1/4’s
• 2 tbsp. dried lavender
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt

In a glass bowl, place the cut lemons, salt and lavender and cover with sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 1 day. Stir a couple of times throughout the day. After 1 day, add the vinegar, stir and cover again with plastic wrap. Allow it to sit another full day. Stir a couple of times throughout the day.  Pour the entire contents of the bowl into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil for just one minute. Remove from the heat and pour through a fine metal sieve, press a wooden spoon against the lemons, to remove all of the liquid. You may need to pass the liquid through a sieve more than once.

Store the shrub in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month.

For this super simple mocktail, I simply added 2 oz. of the shrub to a glass and then topped off the glass with cold sparkling water. Then, I garnished each drink with a couple of camomile flowers and a slice of lemon.

Cheers! Hope you enjoyed a little down time this long weekend.