Blueberry Lavender Shrub Syrup (Drinking Vinegar)

In case you haven't guessed, I'm on a bit of a shrub kick. I can't seem to get enough of the these amazing drinking vinegars once the weather gets hot and sticky. When poured over ice and topped off with some sparkling water, I'm hard pressed to find anything more refreshing (aside from plain ice water). So, when I found out that this month's Progressive Eats theme was "summer bounty", my brain immediately started scanning the fruit, berries, and herbs that I'd been stocking up on this past week.

Refreshing Apple Shrub Syrup

It's heating up outside, and this apple shrub syrup, or drinking vinegar, infused with mint and fennel is a refreshing way to beat that heat. To enjoy, combine 1 part shrub syrup with 3 to 4 parts sparkling water and serve over ice. Shrub syrups are also a fun and creative way to bring a signature cocktail to life—it is wedding season, after all!

A way of preserving fruit after the harvest in Colonial times, sweet and tangy drinking vinegars are a fantastic way to enjoy the pure spirit of your favorite fruit any time of the year. Fresh herbs and whole spices will add another layer of flavor to your syrups, as will experimenting with different types of vinegar.

Chocolate and Vanilla Egg Creams inspired by The Decent Proposal

What would you do if a private benefactor offered to give you $500,000 if, after 1  year's time, you've spent 2 hours a week for the entire year meeting and getting to know a person (of their choosing) that you'd never met before? That is the situation in which Richard and Elizabeth find themselves, two entirely different people with no obvious connection, in The Decent Proposal.

Richard is a handsome 29-year old producer dealing with the fact that the business he started with a buddy several years ago just isn't making any money. He's considering getting a job...anywhere...just to pay his bills.

Peach-Rosemary Shrub Syrup

I've been meaning to try making (and drinking) a shrub for at least 3 or 4 years now. I'm not really sure why I've waited so long, seeing as they couldn't be any easier to make. So, when you think shrub, does your mind automatically go to the bushes outside your childhood home? Or, if you're like me, a little TLC song might start playing on a constant loop in your head. (Yes, I know it's scrub, not shrub. I can't help the way my mind works.) What I'm really referring to are the shrubs that are also known as "drinking vinegars".

Basically, you macerate fresh fruit or berries with sugar until the fruit is soft and the sugar is dissolved, then you add vinegar and allow the mixture to infuse for several days. You can add fresh herbs or spices for different flavors. Once the mixture has infused, you strain out the solids and use the resulting sweet and tangy syrup to flavor things, usually drinks (though you could use it in vinaigrettes or sauces, as well).