Blueberry Cinnamon Shrub

Make Your Own Soda: Syrup Recipes for All-Natural Pop, Floats, Cocktails, and More is a lovely little book that was just released yesterday. I received a review copy from the publisher (Clarkson Potter) a few weeks back, and I’ve really been enjoying it.

I made the Rose Syrup (with dried rose petals I had left over from last year’s garden) and it was amazing. I also made a variation on the Blueberry and Star Anise Shrub Syrup, which I used in the drink you see here: it was delicious with frozen blueberries and I can’t wait to make it again when I have access to fresh ones this summer.

Getting off store-bought soda can be hard, but it’s really important: soda contain loads of high fructose corn syrup as well as undesirable chemicals…it’s really best not to put that stuff into your body. Make Your Own Soda is a small book, but it’s brimming with brilliant ideas for how to make all-natural syrups you can put in homemade sodas, creative cocktails, ice cream drinks, etc. Most of the recipes are made with fruit and do also contain sugar (I used organic, fair-trade sugar in the ones I tried); if you don’t eat any sugar, this is not the book for you.

I have an extra copy of Make Your Own Soda and I’d love to send it to one of my readers: scroll down below the recipe to find out how to enter the giveaway.

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To enter the giveaway for a copy of Make Your Own Soda: Syrup Recipes for All-Natural Pop, Floats, Cocktails, and More, please do the following:

Optional: For a third entry, you can sign up for my newsletter (you’ll find the sign up box in the top right sidebar as well as in the footer of my blog). Once you are signed up, just leave another comment letting me know.

So, there you go: up to three entries for each person and I’ll choose a winner via random.com. I will notify the winner by email so make sure I have a valid email address for you. US readers only, please. Good luck!

More tasty shrubs:

Strawberry Rhubarb Shrub from A Thought For Food
Cucumber Mint Shrub from Food Republic
Raspberry Shrub from Healthy Green Kitchen

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Recipe for Blueberry and Cinnamon Shrub Syrup (and Shrub)

A shrub is a thirst-quenching, vinegar-based drink that's flavored/sweetened with fruit. Add brandy or rum and you've got a delicious cocktail; a generous splash of St-Germain (elderflower liqueur) is wonderful in here, as well.

Ingredients

For the Shrub Syrup:

• *1 1/2 cups water
• *1 cups sugar I used organic, fair-trade sugar
• *3 cups fresh blueberries I used frozen, wild blueberries instead
• *3/4 cup red wine vinegar preferably organic
• *2 cinnamon sticks the original recipe calls for 2 star anise, but I did not have any on hand

For the Shrub:

• *ice
• *seltzer water I love my Sodastream
• *Brandy rum, or St-Germain elderflower liqueur (optional)

Instructions

To make the Shrub Syrup:

• 1. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add blueberries, vinegar, and cinnamon (or star anise). Allow to steep for 20 minutes.
• 2. Mash the blueberries with a fork and allow to cool. Transfer the mixture to a covered container and store in refrigerator for 2 days so flavors can develop.
• 3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, making sure to press all of the syrup out of the solids. Discard the solids; syrup can be stored for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

To make the Shrub:

• 1. For one drink, fill a glass with ice and add 2-3 tablespoons of the syrup. Top with seltzer and mix gently.

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