New Old-fashioned drinks craze

March 23, 2021 Suzanne Millar 1 comment

There is a new drinks craze working it’s way back into the mixology world. We say new, but really they’ve been around for years and years. Say hello to the drink shrubs…

First of all if you don’t know what a shrub drink is, check out our blog on what a shrub is - essentially a syrupy drink made from vinegar and fruit. Not only do they taste delicious, but they can be consumed in so many different variations, and best of all, they are actually good for you! Check out our other blog on the health benefits of Shrubs to read more…

As mentioned in our other blog about shrubs, these delightful flavourful cordials (or vinegars as some call them) have been around since the colonial period. The original definition of shub was ‘a beverage that has been created by combining acidulated fruit juices to water’ and was originally created as a way to save or preserve fruits before refrigeration was invented. The fruit was often mixed with sugar (including honeys!), kept in vinegar and combined to make a cordial that could be combined with water to make a juice, but over time has developed into the essential mixer for cocktails.

So what is the difference between a shrub drink and a cordial? Well cordials often (not always) have many more ingredients, and are always diluted in the drink. Shrubs get their reputation by the concentrated flavour and the vinegar that gives them a tart kick - much stronger than cordials. Essentially it’s a maceration, which means to soften or breakdown, and in this case doing so by adding sugar and vinegar. During prohibition they were popular as a cocktail as people couldn’t drink - the vinegar giving it a little bite and replacing the taste of the alcohol.

Suzie and Iain, founders of The Scottish Bee Company were keen to keep working within our local communities in Scotland. Our shrubs are actually made by one of our beekeeper’s wives Ellon in Aberdeenshire. The botanicals and fruits within the shrubs and vinegars have been foraged and then harvested near our hives.

Suzie says, “It’s great that our bees - the emblem of our company - have a hand in helping make these shrubs as well as the honey and candles. And it’s so great to be working with our family and friends on these new products as well, to bring authentic Scottish tastes and flavours to the masses.”

As you know The Scottish Bee Company started as a family business, and these ties area very much still connected to us. For our shrubs we will be working with family member Hamish Bremner, a mixologist extraordinaire who works for The Clove Club in London. He will be providing some new recipes for us, so keep an eye on our news and blogs page for these over the next few weeks.