Spiced Blood Orange Shrub
Makes 16 servings
Adapted from Bon Appétit
8 blood oranges
2-3-inch piece ginger, coarsely chopped
2x 3-inch cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves (or 1 teaspoon ground cloves)
1 cup sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
Club soda, for serving
Wash the rind of the blood oranges before removing all of the zest from them using a vegetable peeler. Aim for wide strips with minimal amounts of pith (the white parts on the underside of the skin). Set half of the zest aside for serving.
Slice the oranges in half and juice them. Pass the juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove pulp and seeds. Set the juice aside.
In a medium saucepan, add the ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, sugar, remaining half of zest, and 1 cup of water and bring to boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally, to help dissolve the sugar, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove and discard any solids.
Return the syrup to the saucepan and stir in the navel orange juice and apple cider vinegar. Taste the shrub, it should be a good balance between sweet and sour. Add more apple cider vinegar if needed. Pour the shrub into a large glass, for storing.
To serve, mix 3 tablespoons of the shrub with 4-5 ounces of club soda. Serve over ice and garnish with zest.
Enjoy!
