Here at Buchi, we love getting creative with new ways to use kombucha. Whether it’s tossing it in a vinaigrette or using it to flavor a batch of delicious breakfast muffins, kombucha adds just the right touch to so many food favorites – and beverages too. 

For a different and tasty way to drink kombucha, try it in a shrub. And no, we don’t mean the plant! If you’re wondering what that is, here’s a little shrub education.

What is a shrub?

Also known as drinking vinegars, shrubs are made from three simple ingredients: sugar, vinegar, and fruit. When blended, they create an acidic syrup that adds depth and complexity — sipping ready for any mocktail or cocktail creation.

So what’s the story behind shrubs? Let’s go back a few hundred years. 
Before refrigeration, colonial Americans blended drinking vinegar to stay hydrated and enjoy out-of-season harvests. In 15th century England, sailors sipped shrubs to ward off scurvy and boost their health. And long before the Brits, ancient Romans mixed water with vinegar and honey for a similar elixir called posca.

Eventually, shrubs showed up in 17th and 18th century cocktail recipes. Today’s craft cocktail movement has brought them back as a way to highlight all kinds of fruit, even in the wintertime.

Kombucha Shrub

Kombucha shrubs have taken the traditional shrub in a little different direction, and that is of course, using kombucha! Making a shrub is a great way to use up a batch of your home brewed kombucha that maybe has gone a little too long and started turning vinegary. So, treat your palate — and your gut — with a tasty shrub, featuring some of your favorite fruits. 

If you need a little inspiration, here’s one you can try at home.