This pineapple jalapeño shrub cocktail has the sweetness of pineapple, the heat of jalapeños and the tang of vinegar. Great with seltzer or vodka for a refreshing summer drink.
Have you ever heard of a shrub drink? I first heard of them a few years ago at a health and natural food expo. Shrubs were used in the colonial times for their high vitamin C content and were sometimes called drinking vinegars. That might not sound all that appetizing but they are really tasty. Trust me on this one. Today I made a pineapple jalapeño shrub that was out of this world. It was both spicy and sweet and perfect for a summer cocktail.
There are 3 main components to a shrub: fruit, sugar & vinegar which make for the classic sweet and sour taste. The cool thing about shrubs is that you can make a variety of different flavors by changing one of the three components. The other cool thing about them is that you can drink them with seltzer water for a refreshing drink or add vodka for a cocktail! Today I used pineapple, jalapeño, honey and vinegar to make this tasty pineapple jalapeño shrub. IT WAS FABULOUS!
What Do You Put In A Shrub Drink?
There are 3 main components to a shrub: fruit, sugar & vinegar which make for the classic sweet and sour taste. The cool thing about shrubs is that you can make a variety of different flavors by changing one of the three components. The other cool thing about them is that you can drink them with seltzer water for a refreshing drink or add vodka for a cocktail! Today I used pineapple, jalapeño, honey and vinegar to make my shrub.
Easy Way To Make This Pineapple Jalapeno Shrub
There are a few different ways you can make a shrub but today I’m going to tell you about a quick and dirty way. However if you are interested in the other methods and a bit of the history, check out this article from TheKitchn.com.
The basic recipe is 1 part fruit to 1 part sugar to 1 part vinegar. For mine, I added fresh pineapple, a chopped jalapeño, honey and apple cider vinegar to a pan and simmered for about 20 minutes. I mashed the pineapple a few times to release the juices. Then I strained it into a bottle and it was ready to go. By the way, I only used a ½ cup honey in this recipe because honey is sweeter than sugar. However the basic recipe is still 1 part fruit to 1 part sugar to 1 vinegar.
Way To Use This Shrub Drink
To use the shrub, you just add 2 tablespoons to a glass of seltzer water for a refreshing drink or add a bit of vodka too. And let me tell you about another thing I tried the other day. I added a bit of olive oil to the syrup and made a salad dressing. It was the perfect dressing for a summer salad: sweet, tangy and with a bit of heat.
Pineapple Jalapeño Shrub
Summer is the perfect time to make a shrub with all the tasty fruit available. It’s a great recipe for using those ripe but not so pretty looking pieces of fruit too. My sister recently made a raspberry shrub on her blog, while my other sister made a strawberry rhubarb a while ago. Shrubs are easy and fun! Give it a try and stop back and let me know what combination of fruit, vinegar and sugar you used. I’dl love to hear all about it.
Pineapple Jalapeno Shrub Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- 1 fresh jalapeño chopped
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
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Add your ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil.
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Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
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While cooking mash the mixture with a potato masher or a fork to release more juice from the fruit.
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Once the fruit becomes more of a pulp and the juices thicken, take off the stove and strain into a bottle or jar.
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Keep refrigerated for up to a week.
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Use 2 tablespoons per drink with seltzer water or add vodka too for cocktail.
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Can also mix syrup with olive oil for a fruity salad dressing.
Tara
Just wondering do you take out the seeds of the jalapeño? And then chop it or leave them in?
Denise
Hi Tara, I just sliced them and kept the seeds in….it will make it hotter. If you don’t want it to be too spicy you can clean out the ribs and seeds. But we kept them in and just strained everything out at the end.
Linda
I would NEVER heat the apple cider vinegar – it destroys ANY of the health benefits from it. Instead, I would either ‘juice’ a little of the pineapple, or add some water to simmer. AFTER it has cooled, I would add the ACV. Then you have kept the integrity of the vinegar and all the wonderful health benefits!
Denise
Hi Linda, thanks for your input!
E
Linda, I agree with the no heating of the vinegar. I haven’t cared for the flavor I get from shrubs where I have heated it, didn’t think about killing the health benefits but that does make sense.
I like to add about 1/4 cup of some fresh fruit juice. In this case I used some red grapefruit juice to brighten up the syrup and give the sugar some extra liquid to fully dissolve the sugars.
Debbie
I never made a shrub before. This sounds delicious and interesting!