I’ve been experimenting with cocktail shrubs lately and landed on the most delightfully fall-flavored concoction for this cocktail recipe. What exactly is a shrub? It’s a syrup made of a combination of fruits, aromatics, sugar, and vinegar. The version I made here has grated red apples (a nice way to use up all that apple-picking bounty!), apple cider vinegar, sugar, and the loose tea leaves from a chai tea bag. A few cinnamon sticks get added to the mixture for more spice, and then it hangs out in the fridge for a few days to let the flavors combine and become a syrup-y texture. Once the shrub is ready, you strain out the aromatics and combine it with bourbon and Prosecco for a sparkling, autumnal drink! Get the full recipe below:
Sparkling Apple Chai Shrub Cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup of Grated Red Apples (about 3 apples)
- 1 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Cup of Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup of White Sugar
- 1 Chai Tea Bag (leaves removed from bag)
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks, plus more for garnish
- Bourbon
- Prosecco
- Fresh Orange Peels
Instructions
- Combine grated red apples, apple cider vinegar, brown and white sugar, chai tea leaves (removed from bag), and cinnamon sticks in a jar. Give the mixture a few stirs and then screw the top on tight before storing it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days to create the Apple Chai Shrub.
- After 2-3 days, strain the shrub and remove the cinnamon sticks and chai tea leaves.
- Combine 2 ounces of Bourbon with 1 ounce of the chilled Apple Chai Shrub over ice in a cocktail shaker; shake and then strain into two glasses. Top each glass with Prosecco and garnish with an orange peel and cinnamon sticks.
