Roffignac
Berries on Blue with Jasmine
Roffignac
Fruit shrubs have intrigued me for a while. Until now I’ve haven’t made or tried one, but coming across the NOLA cocktail, the Roffignac, put me into action. A culinary shrub is a fruit syrup with vinegar. They’ve been used for making beverages since at least colonial times and a decade ago bartenders focused on craft cocktails revived them. Mixed with soda water, they make a super soft drink—one whose ingredients you can feel good about. And as a base for the Roffignac, it’s terrific. I was curious about the vinegar, but it serves to brighten and enhance the raspberries and doesn’t at all taste “vinegary.” But then I didn’t use a cup of it.
Most recipes use a cup each of sugar and vinegar, and I didn’t want to use that much sugar or have a container in the fridge for months. There are two ways of making a shrub: one with raw fruit that’s left to sit on the kitchen counter for a day or so, or one that uses cooked fruit. My goal: fresh fruit, low sugar. Turns out it’s very easy to do both and have a shrub that’s perfectly sublime.
The Roffignac itself was created in New Orleans in honor of a mayor during the 1820s, Count Louis Philippe Joseph de Roffignac, at the long-gone Maylie’s restaurant.
Have you made a fruit shrub? What fruit did you use? What kinds of recipes did you try it in? Let us know in the comments below!
“The shrub makes the base for a fabulous raspberry vinaigrette ... one of our favorite salad dressings.”
Roffignac
ingredients:
- 6 oz fresh raspberries (use organic, berries top the list of the “dirty dozen”)
- 2-3 teaspoons honey
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ oz brandy or cognac (omit for the soft drink)
- ice cubes
- sparkling water, seltzer or club soda
instructions:
How to cook Roffignac
- Place the rinsed berries in a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl. With a scraper, wooden spoon or muddler, crush the berries and extract as much liquid as possible leaving behind the seeds. Be sure to scrape the underside of sieve to get all the juice. Discard the seeds.
- Add 2 teaspoons of honey and the vinegar and taste, mixing well and adding more honey if desired. You’ll have about a half cup total.
- Place ice in a medium glass, add 2 tbsp raspberry shrub and the brandy (omit for the soft drink), top with soda water and stir. Add more raspberry shrub if desired.
The Roffignac
