Sous Vide Strawberry-Basil Shrub

“Drinking vinegar” is the hip new term for “shrub,” a colonial-era, well, drinking vinegar. Like other old-timey drinks, you’ve probably noticed shrubs popping up on fancy cocktail menus over the last few years. According to the Food Lover’s Companion, “Colonial-day shrubs were spiked with liquor (usually brandy or rum) but today fruit juice, sugar and vinegar drinks are usually nonalcoholic. Shrubs are served over ice, with or without soda water.” This shrub is made with fresh strawberries, sugar, basil, and balsamic vinegar. We recommend serving it over ice with club soda and/or vodka. And don’t discard the fruit — it’s delicious over ice cream, pound cake, or all by itself.

Author

Emily Farris and Jeff Akin

Emily Farris and Jeff Akin are the co-founders of Feed Me Creative, a former culinary creative agency in Kansas City, MO.

Prep Time: 00:10

Recipe Time: 02:00

Temperature : 135F / 57.2C

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh strawberries, trimmed
• 1 pound ultrafine sugar
• 2 cups white balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 135°F (57°C).
2. Combine all ingredients in a large zipper lock bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique and place in the water bath. Set the timer for 2 hours.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Strain the entire contents of the bag through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Save the fruit for another use. Transfer the liquid to a storage jar and refrigerate for up to 1 month.