Fruit, sugar and vinegar sound like a recipe for a yuck-face emoji, but 300 years of history suggest otherwise. This combination, called a shrub after the Arabic word sharab, refreshed American colonists in the 18^th century. Cookbook author Lydia Maria Child, who also wrote the Thanksgiving poem that begins, “Over the river and through the wood…” included a raspberry shrub in her 1829 Frugal Housewife cookbook.

Many of the early recipes, including Child’s, contained alcohol. As the temperance movement grew in the 19^th century, sanctimonious people began substituting vinegar for alcohol. The end of Prohibition in the 1920s meant the end of shrubs – at least temporarily. Now they have made a comeback among mixologists always in search of something interesting. Michael Dietsch’s thoroughly researched book, Shrubs, gives much more detail about the history and the comeback. This slightly adapted recipe for a shrub and a margarita-inspired drink comes from Sarah Schneider of Merge, a bar in Buffalo, NY, and was published in the summer issue of Edible Western NY. It’s a new recipe for an old tradition. The flavors sound improbable but balance beautifully. Huzzah – we’re back to the future!

Blueberry Shrub and El Chapo in New York Cocktail
For the shrub:
Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 cups shrub mix

2 cups blueberries
Zest of 3 oranges
1 cup sugar [I used granulated sugar; original recipe suggests raw turbinado sugar but says any sweetener will work]
Approximately 3/4 cup light balsamic vinegar [I used regular balsamic because that’s what I had]

1. In a bowl, crush or muddle the blueberries, then pour in the sugar and stir until the berries are coated and the sugar is evenly dispersed. Cover and let sit overnight in a cool, dark room to ferment.
2. 24 hours later, pour the mixture through a sieve, straining the syrup from the fruit solids and squeezing out as much liquid as possible [I used the back of a wooden spoon for this]. Use the leftover solids in pies or crumbles, or eat them with yogurt and granola.
3. Measure the syrup. Add 1 part of vinegar to 2 parts syrup. Stir and let sit for a few hours before pouring into a sterilized Mason jar or bottle.
4. Cover and refrigerate or store in a cellar for an additional week; add to cocktails or mix the shrub with soda water. You can keep the refrigerated shrub longer than one week but discard if it changes color.

For the cocktail:
Makes 1 drink

1 1/2 ounces tequila or [mezcal for a smoked blueberry flavor]
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice [about 1 small lime]
1/2 ounce shrub mixture
2 sprigs fresh mint

1. Slap two pieces of mint between your palms to release the natural oils. Add to a cocktail shaker.
2. Add the tequila, lime and shrub to the shaker. Fill with fresh ice.
3. Shake until the shaker gets frosty.
4. Pour into a rocks glass. Add salt to the rim of the glass, or just sprinkle in a little sea salt.
5. Add a splash of soda if desired.