This past year has been a roller coaster ride of changes. I finally started this blog after many years of people asking me to write down my recipes. I made a drastic career change into food. It has been very rewarding but not at all easy. And while the future is still a little murky, I’m grateful to finally be able to do something that I love fully. I finally feel that I’m moving towards being comfortable with myself. 

Every year, I always try to include on edible gift that I make in my gifting to friends and family. It is just that little extra effort that really tells them that you care.

A shrub, or drinking vinegar, makes a wonderful and unique gift.  While researching into shrubs, I have found two main methods for shrub making – the hot stove top method and the slower cold method. The stove top method involves cooking the fruit and sugar together into a syrup and then adding vinegar to it afterwards. But just as with fruit jams, I think the goal here is to preserve the fresh brightness of the fruits and vegetables as much as possible. The hot method, while definitely much faster, simply doesn’t do that. So this recipe for a satsuma, carrot, and coriander shrub uses the cold method. With just a little bit of planning, you can make something super bright and capture a moment in time.

This shrub works wonderfully in a gin and lillet blanc cocktail (recipe also below). If you lean towards the darker stuff, bourbon would also taste delicious. For a non-alcoholic option, simply mix with some soda water.

S A T S U M A  +  C A R R O T  +  C O R I A N D E R  S H R U B
makes 2 cups

1/2 pound carrots, grated
1 cup cane sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh satsuma juice
1 cup rice vinegar

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Combine the carrots, sugar, coriander seeds, and salt in a bowl, mix well. Leave at room temperature for an hour or two. The carrots should start to give off juice. Mix again, cover, and leave in the refrigerator for a day.

The next day, add the satsuma juice and rice vinegar. Return to the fridge to infuse for another day or two. Filter out all the solids and bottle. After a few days, the vinegar in the shrub will mellow out allowing the carrot and satsuma to come forward.

T A N G E R I N E  D R E A M
inspired by this recipe

1.5 ounce gin
1.5 ounce satsuma, carrot, coriander shrub
.75 ounce lillet blanc
orange bitters
club soda
carrot top, for garnish

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Combine the first three ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake until frosty and pour over new ice. Top with a splash of club soda, 2-3 drops of orange bitters and garnish with a sprig of carrot top.