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!