Kuma Honey Shrub

Before we sold alcohol at Umami Mart, we had a pretty extensive shrub collection. After we started to see more shrub lineups at other stores, we decided to pare down our shrub offerings – I still love shrub and consume it often. I crave the tartness of the vinegar and sweet flavors from the fruits of nature.

As a beekeeper, my favorite fruit of nature is honey. I use honey in almost everything I make. Whenever a sauce or stir fry calls for sugar, I substitute with honey from my hives which are situated steps away from my back door. So in the summer, when I crave shrub and soda, I make honey shrub.

It's embarrassingly easy as it calls for just two ingredients besides water: vinegar and honey.

Here it is!

INGREDIENTS
2 oz (1 jar) of Kuma Honey or other honey
1.5 oz Rice Vinegar 
0.5 oz water

This is a pretty small yield, so you can multiply this recipe if you have more honey.

METHOD
1. Combine all ingredients in a jar.

2. Leave it out at room temperature, sealed for 2-3 days. Mix at the end of each day if it looks like the honey is settling at the bottom of the jar. That's it!

Apple cider vinegar works well for this recipe as an alternative to rice vinegar, but in a side-by-side tasting, the rice vinegar had a better bite for this recipe.

My favorite way to enjoy honey shrub is to add one fluid ounce to a highball glass of soda water (5 oz) on ice.*

Summer is here.

This non-alcoholic drink is for people of all ages!

*Make this a quenching happy hour cocktail by adding an ounce of your spirit of choice!