My recipe for Rose Geranium and Strawberry Shrub and how to use it in cocktails and non-alcoholic cocktails as seen on Gardening Australia.
Rose Geranium and Strawberry Shrub – Photo © The Gourmantic Garden
As seen on Botanical Beverages: My Segment on Gardening Australia
Rose Geranium and Strawberry Shrub Recipe
Original recipe created by Corinne Mossati
Ingredients
- 500g strawberries, cut in half
- 300g castor sugar
- 625ml red wine vinegar
- 5 cups rose geranium leaves, rinsed, dried and loosely packed
Equipment: glass jar with tight fitting lid, fine strainer
Method
- Rinse the rose geranium leaves and pat dry them on a kitchen towel.
- In a glass jar, add the strawberry halves, the rose geranium leaves and top with castor sugar. Give the ingredients a good mix, seal the jar and place in the fridge overnight.
- After 24 hours, add the red wine vinegar. Stir all the ingredients together then put the jar back in the fridge.
- Keep it refrigerated for 7 days, and give the jar a little stir every day.
- On Day 7, using a fine strainer, strain the shrub pressing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. The solids can be dehydrated and blitzed into a fine powder to use as garnish in drinks. Alternatively, the rose geranium leaves can be discarded and the strawberries consumed.
- Store the shrub in the fridge until ready to use. The flavours will mellow with time and it will keep in the fridge for one year.
Sunset Kiss Cocktail Recipe
Sunset Kiss Cocktail – Photo © The Gourmantic Garden
Original recipe created by Corinne Mossati
Ingredients
- 30ml lemon-infused vodka*
- 20ml strawberry and rose geranium shrub
- 5ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 20ml soda water
*For Lemon-Infused Vodka
- 100ml vodka
- zest of half a lemon, pith removed
Glassware: coupette
Garnish: rose geranium leaf and alpine strawberry
Method
*To make the lemon-infused vodka, in a glass jar add the lemon zest from half a lemon with the pith removed and top with vodka. Cover and leave to stand at room temperature in a cool, dark place for a minimum of 3 days or until the desired flavour is reached. Strain using a fine strainer and store in a glass bottle with a tight lid in the fridge until ready to use.
To make the cocktail, in a cocktail shaker, add the lemon-infused vodka, rose and strawberry shrub, and freshly squeezed lime juice over ice. Shake hard until the tin is very cold. Strain into a chilled coupette and gently add the soda water. Garnish with a small rose geranium leaf and alpine strawberry floated on top.
Non-Alcoholic Rose Geranium and Strawberry Shrub Cocktail
For a non-alcoholic option, simple add soda water to the shrub with a squeeze of lime and top with soda water., mix 20ml of the shrub with soda water and a squeeze of lime juice.
Ingredients
- 20 to 30ml Rose Geranium and Strawberry Shrub (according to taste)
- squeeze of lime juice
- soda water to top
Glassware: tall glass
Garnish: rose geranium leaf
Method
In a tall glass, combine the shrub, squeeze of lime juice and soda water over ice. Give it a gentle stir and garnish with a rose geranium leaf.
Mezcal Shrub Highball
Mezcal Shrub Highball – Photo © The Gourmantic Garden
Original recipe created by Corinne Mossati
Ingredients
- 30ml Mezcal
- 15ml Rose Geranium and Strawberry Shrub
- soda water to top
Glassware: tall glass
Garnish: rose geranium leaf
Method
In a tall glass, combine Mezcal, the shrub and soda water over ice. Give it a gentle stir and garnish with a rose geranium leaf.
