Peach Shrub

I've been revisiting Sandor Katz's Wild Fermentation book and finding all sorts of amusements and possible future fermentation fun. Had I read it a week ago I might have tried making daylily wine, but I need to acquire a few things before I try wine making, and my daylilies have peaked and are starting to dwindle.

One amusement is Katz's talk about vinegar and shrubs - a soft drink of sorts (pre-carbonated sodas) made with vinegar and fruit. I had recently tried making this shrub after my friend served it to me with bourbon and bubbly water some weeks ago. It is peach season, though I have not had any MN peaches yet, and this shrub is quite tasty with some fresh mint. I ended up increasing the amount of vinegar and decreasing the sugar a bit, and I found that I like this best with bubbly water, no alcohol. I also want to try switchel sometime, not quite a shrub, but similar: vinegar, sugar, molasses and ginger that you then add bubbly water to.

I finished my peach shrub today amidst a labor intensive day of chopping wood followed by digging up part of the yard for a retaining wall. It was at large root number 7 (or so) where I decided a peach soda beverage was in order (gatorade-hydration-energy-boost-style) so that I could complete the digging before the landscaper truck person finished his job next door and came with his front loader to load all my dirt fill. I made it just in time.

The peach shrub recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, where it is used in her "Bourbon Peach Smash" recipe. My version (with the option of a little less sugar and more cider vinegar) is below.

Peach Shrub

1 large very ripe peach, pitted, thinly sliced
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Pinch of salt

Place peach slices in a jar, cover with sugar, water, 1-3 tablespoons vinegar (more may help for a longer steeping time, less if you are worried about vinegar taste), and a pinch of salt. Place lid on jar, give it a swish/shake until mixed and let chill in fridge for 3 hours, overnight, or up to 1 week.
*I had mine 2 weeks using 3 T vinegar, and that lasted just fine. I did like the shrub better at the end than the beginning, so maybe it was more mellow by then?

Serve with bubbly water and fresh mint. Add some bourbon if you want to try that.