Book Review: Savory and Sweet Shrubs

Penned as a follow-up to Michael Dietsch’s Shrubs: An Old Fashioned Drink for Modern Times, he’s back at it again with Savory and Sweet Shrubs. Dietsch, a celebrated author and bartender brings us a new drinking guide with fantastic culinary-inspired flavors. With over 50 recipes included, this comprehensive book demystifies shrubs, which Dietsch illustrates as simply acidulated beverages. Many of the recipes in this book feature unexpected savory recipes that push the limits of what one might imagine a shrub can be.

A hardcover book with beautiful full-page photos and page textures that are pleasant to flip through and will stand up to a few splashes here and there, I found the book’s layout particularly appealing, beginning with four pages of flavor pairings and substitutions. As a mixologist myself, this section is beneficial when trying to think of new flavor combinations. Dietsch has done the work for me. For novices, this section immediately removes one of the most daunting tasks and further enhances the approachability of creating cocktails: understanding flavor profiles.

As explained in the section about the shrub’s history, the drink has been with us for centuries. Dietsch points to a 1260 Cairo pharmacist’s manual that included several acidulated syrups to treat various ailments. Incorporating global flavors with both historic and modern profiles, the recipes in this book are a treat to discover.

The recipes Dietsch has chosen for the book take you on a flavor journey throughout time and around the world, with flavor combinations like Meyer lemon and Za’tar shrub. Or the carrot and fenugreek shrub. You’ll also find familiar and comforting recipes such as the pear shrub with spiced molasses syrup, a perfect flavor profile for fall and winter weather.

I tested several recipes from the book and found them to be easy to follow, delivering big on flavor. The cocktail recipes are also adventurous, with ‘Johnny After a Fashion’ being one of my favorites. Made with apple brandy, fig, and green anise shrub and black walnut bitters, I had to hold myself back from overdoing it!

This is a book for curious drinkers, focusing on flavor and interest — and it’s not until you arrive at the back section of the book that Dietsch offers alcoholic cocktail recipes. The magic of shrubs, which is so perfectly illustrated throughout the pages, is that shrubs are inherently not alcoholic but can be complex in flavor and full of intrigue. If you choose to turn these recipes into cocktails, the task is simple: just add your favorite spirit.

A / $25 [BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON]

The post Book Review: Savory and Sweet Shrubs appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.