Making Raspberry Shrub from 1911

TL;DR

Raspberry shrub is a historical vinegar-based drink syrup traced from ancient Persia through colonial America, here made from an 1911 recipe.

Key Points

• 1.The word 'shrub' traces back to ancient Persian 'shbat.' Persian vinegar-and-mint syrups called shbat gave English the words syrup, shrub, sherbet, sorbet, and even snow cones, showing a continuous lineage of sweet-sour drinks across millennia.
• 2.Vinegar drinks were staples of ancient and colonial life. Roman soldiers drank watered-down wine vinegar called posca on the march; colonial Americans favored Switchell, a vinegar drink with ginger and molasses popular among farm laborers.
• 3.The 1911 raspberry shrub is a sweet, sour, versatile drink. It delivers strong raspberry flavor balanced by vinegar tartness, and can be served with cold soda water or spiked with gin or vodka; the full recipe appears in the Tasting History cookbook.