What Is Shrub?

History in A Glass

If you go back in time and open a 19th-century cookbook, you’ll find references and recipes for Shrub. This all-natural drink could be found in places ranging from the rolling countryside of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to the sun-swept prairies of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s homestead.

Before refrigeration, the fresh fruits of summer would spoil quickly, so resourceful (and frugal) colonists discovered they could pile their extras into big crocks with sugar and after a few weeks the mixture would ferment into vinegar. The results were bright with fresh fruit flavor and when some additional sugar was added, Shrub was born!

After more than 200 years, Shrubs eventually fell out of popularity with the advent of home refrigeration. Gradually, recipes disappeared from cookbooks, and the craft of making shrubs became an almost lost art.

The Original Shrub

In the summer of 1986, a bumper crop of raspberries was hanging on the canes waiting to be picked when a driving rainstorm set in over central Pennsylvania lasting for nearly 2 weeks. Rather than allow the fruit to spoil, it was picked and frozen for winter sales. After several unsuccessful attempts to sell the frozen raspberries, a family friend reminded David Tait of an old colonial beverage called Raspberry Shrub. Necessity gave way to invention, and the first batch of Tait Farm Foods' Original Shrub was born!

For this reason, Tait Farm is credited with bringing about a modern day Shrub revival. Known as “The Original Shrub”, they are still made “the old fashioned way” with all-natural ingredients and no artificial flavorings, coloring, or juices. Fresh fruit is held in vinegar for weeks just as it was all those years ago. Once it is ready, organic cane sugar is added and the mixture is heated until it is cooked down into a tangy, thirst-quenching syrup.

The Original Mixer

Since its inception, Shrub was considered a simple drink mixer. It is most popularly mixed with chilled sparkling water. It is also a natural sweetener and flavor booster when added to iced tea and lemonade.

The microdistillery movement in the mid-2010’s gave way to Shrub becoming a cutting-edge cocktail ingredient. Mixologists nationwide embraced it as “the other acid” and found it worked perfectly as an alternative to the same old lemons and limes, or splashes of cranberry juice.

Today, the Non-Alcoholic and Sober Curious Movements are rapidly gaining popularity. From millennials to seniors, many folks are setting liquor aside and opting for zero proof drinks. One of the stars of this show? Shrub! Alcohol-free bottle shops, mocktail bars, mocktail kit subscriptions and zero-proof pop ups are all the rage, and we are excited to be a part of this growing community!

With Shrub, it is easy to create a delicious and satisfying mocktail or cocktail. Added to a pretty glass with fresh fruit or herb garnish, and you have the basics to create a fabulous drink. Shrub can be served simply or as part of a more complex, balanced mixture of ingredients, with or without the alcohol.

Tait Farm Food Wins the sofi™ Award!

The Specialty Food Association’s sofi™ Awards have been honoring the best in specialty food for 50 years. All sofi™ Award honorees are selected through a blind tasting process. Awards are presented annually at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City.

"For 50 years the sofi Awards have been recognizing the best of the best in the specialty food industry," said Laura Lozada, vice president, Membership for the Specialty Food Association. "Our members are the foundation of our industry and we are proud to honor their innovation, growth, and creativity."

Here, we proudly present our winners three years in a row!