Watermelon Shrub Vodka Spritzer

Have you guys heard of a shrub cocktail?  Don’t worry I hadn’t either until just recently!  No, they are not cocktails made from garden shrubs but instead are cocktails mixed with fruit infused syrups made with vinegar.  They make some super tasty summer cocktails like this Watermelon Shrub Vodka Spritzer!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Oil & Vinegar. All opinions are entirely my own.

I was approached by Oil & Vinegar to create a Summer Shrub cocktail using one of their seasonal fruit vinegars.  There are so many to choose from but the Watermelon Vinegar is so light and refreshing I knew that was the one to experiment with.  This delicious Watermelon Vinegar comes straight from Modena in Italy. It contains white balsamico vinegar and watermelon.

Now not really knowing what the heck a Shrub syrup was I had to do a bit of research to understand what it was I was attempting to create.  Shrub syrups originated hundreds of years ago, back when the only method to preserve fresh fruit was to mix it with lots of sugar and store it in old containers or jars.  After some time, the liquid released from the fruit and sugar mixture would begin to ferment and turn into a vinegar.  Today, the most common method of making a shrub is to make a simple syrup by mixing fruit in equal parts sugar and water with a bit of vinegar to a saucepan and boil until the fruit breaks down and the syrup gets thicker.

Oil and Vinegar made this step super simple for me as the Watermelon Vinegar is so sweet and smooth on its own that I did not need to go through all those traditional shrub syrup steps.  I mean why make things more difficult for yourself right!  I simply used the fruit flavored vinegar straight with a simple syrup and fresh pureed Watermelon juice, oh and don’t forget the vodka!

Shrub cocktails will be your new favorite cocktail on these super hot summer days I promise you will not be disappointed!

As with all of my recipe posts including Oil & Vinegar products don’t forget they offer my blog followers 20% off of their in store or online order, just click here to get to the Oil & Vinegar site and use code SIMPLE20 at checkout!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 cups fresh watermelon cubed

2 Tbsp Watermelon Vinegar

2 Tbsp Simple Syrup

1 Cup water

1 Cup Watermelon Vodka

Splash of Seltzer Water

Directions:

In a blender, add watermelon, Watermelon Vinegar, simple syrup, and water and blend until fully pureed.

Pour through fine mesh strainer to remove pulp and seeds. Add vodka and a splash of seltzer water, stir to combine.

Pour over ice and garnish with extra watermelon slices and mint leaves, if desired, and serve immediately.

Pin the Watermelon Shrub Vodka Spritzer recipe to your favorite cocktail or drinks board in Pinterest to make later!