The Tippling Point | Shrubs is coming out of cold storage. A quick history of the drink, and what to expect

When refrigeration became common in the mid-20th century, vinegar was no longer needed to preserve fruits and the popularity of shrubs declined. Shrubs is now making a comeback as a drink and a mixer for cocktails. (Representational image: shenggeng-lin via Unsplash)

For Akash Devaraju, born and raised in Bangalore, a degree in information sciences was just a natural and causative step to join tech companies. But all along, his heart was stuck somewhere else.

With an ardent passion for food and beverage, Akash began experimenting with local flavours and ingredients to produce some unique cocktail recipes and drinks that would revolutionize the beverage market in India. That sort of dedication paid off with the creation of a company, Local Ferment Co. in Bangalore. One particular interest he had, apart from creating such successful drinks like Kombucha, was the dazzling world of 'shrubs.'

What are shrubs?

Here we leave behind Akash and his company to take a trip back to the 15th century and even beyond. Drinking vinegar was fashionable even among Babylonians. Plain water was hardly potable those days when they found that adding vinegar could better the experience. This obsession that connects vinegar with purity trickled down through time to 15th century England when people preserved fruits in barrels of vinegar. The acid is a great preservative. But what did they call that fruit-infused vinegar?

Shrubs.

The word 'Shrub' evolved from the Arabic 'sharbah' which means 'a drink' (the words 'sherbet' and 'syrup' also came from the same root).

People who went to physicians in the 15th century were administered a dose of fruit-infused vinegar. For they believed that shrubs could revitalize heart and cure diseases. On sea voyages also, sailors were looking desperately for something to fight against scurvy, a disease common among them (and caused by a lack of vitamin C). An acidic drink infused with fruit, they soon found out, was the only cure.

Shrubs became even more popular when it was discovered that it was fun to take it along with alcohol rather than quaffing it straight. The euphoria spilled over the island, crossed the Atlantic and found an even more eager audience in colonial America.

Shrubs or what they called swtichels, where molasses replaced fruits, became a rage in New England in the 18th century. In the sweltering heat of the continent, fruit-infused vinegar drinks flourished. When prohibition hit the US at the beginning of the 20th century, shrubs came as the only relief as the tartness of vinegar gave the semblance of a kick to the deprived Americans.

But when refrigeration became common in the mid-20th century, vinegar was no longer needed to preserve fruits. The popularity of shrubs declined. They were replaced by soft drinks like Coca-Cola, especially in cocktail recipes.

Take heart, for it was not the end for the centuries-old tradition.

For the last couple of decades, mixologists and bartenders have been on a serious mission to bring back the legacy of shrubs. Enough of the artificially flavoured, fruit syrups and juices that contain preservatives, they began to insist.

The tang that vinegar adds to your drink, along with its complexity, depth and texture when mixed with fruits, are irreplaceable in a cocktail.

Akash Devaraju's Local Ferment Co. is the response from India to the growing shrub craze in the cocktail industry. Their innovative bar mixtures, shrubs, are made with berries, fresh fruits, herbs, etc., infused in their special kombucha and other classic vinegars.

Go shrubs next time when you hit a drink.