Blackberry Ginger Shrub Old Fashioned Food

BLACKBERRY SHRUB

Steps:

• Place fruit and cinnamon stick in a sterilized pint jar. Bring vinegar just to a boil; pour over fruit, leaving ¼-in. headspace. Center lid on jar; screw on band until fingertip tight. Refrigerate for 1 week., Strain vinegar mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into another sterilized pint jar. Press solids to extract juice; discard remaining fruit., Bring sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly. Stir into vinegar mixture; shake well. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. , To serve, drink 1-2 tablespoons or add to a glass of ice, top with sparkling water and garnish with fresh blackberries.

CARROT-GINGER SHRUB

Steps:

• Wash carrots and, if necessary, scrub with a vegetable brush to remove dirt. Peel them if you want to, but it's not necessary.
• Purée carrots in a blender or food processor.
• Pour carrot purée into clean nonreactive container. Add grated ginger.
• Pour cider vinegar over carrots and ginger. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for 2 days.
• Place a fine-mesh strainer over another bowl. Pour carrot-and-vinegar mixture into strainer. Press or squeeze the mixture to extract all the juice.
• Pour carrot juice into a large sanitized jar. Add sugar. Cap the jar, and shake well to combine. Refrigerate, shaking well every other day or so to dissolve sugar.

BLACKBERRY-GINGER SHRUB OLD FASHIONED

Steps:

• To make the blackberry-ginger shrub, mix the fresh blackberries, ginger, and sugar in a large bowl. Mash with a spoon to release the juice. Let sit for a day in the refrigerator. Strain the solids and press lightly on the fruits to expel any remaining juice. Mix the juice with the vinegar and whisk to combine. Place the mixture in a mason jar to store. If sugar and vinegar separate, shake well to combine. For the Old Fashioned, add the bitters and shrub to the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass and stir with a bar spoon. Add ice to the glass. Top with bourbon and a dash of club soda. Garnish with a blackberry.