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    Vanilla Plum Shrub

    Updated September 12, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    This vanilla bean-plum shrub can be sipped on—or shared with the under-21 crowd—with a little club soda added, or paired with a spirit and turned into a cocktail for the adults to enjoy.
    2 cups of Plum Shrub with vanilla bean and fresh plums on a plate

    Vanilla-Plum Shrub: A Summery Drink Everyone Can Enjoy.

    What we love best about drinking vinegars—yeah, a shrub is basically a drinking vinegar—is that they can be sipped on or shared with children in their original non-alcoholic form, or paired with a spirit and turned into a shrub cocktail for the adults to enjoy. In other words, shrubs are the perfect, family-friendly party drink!

    A wooden bowl filled with Italian plums
    two hands muddling sugar and plums in a pitcher for Vanilla Plum Shrub

    What Is A Shrub?

    Also known as a drinking vinegar, a shrub is a non-alcoholic fruit, sugar and vinegar concentrate, that can be mixed in a variety of ways. Our two favorite ways to serve this sweet, tart mixer, is with our favorite liquor and a little soda water, or just soda water as a non-alcoholic treat. Even the kids will love the slightly tart, fruity flavor of the spritzy drink. The word shrub comes from the Arabic word “sharab” which means “to drink”. Shrubs were created as a refreshing way to preserve fruit.

    macerated plums in a bowl

    How To Make A Shrub Drink

    Making shrubs at home is a fun and easy project that doesn't take too long! We choose to make this shrub with Italian plums because we have a plethora of them this time of year. They also happen to be one of our favorite fruits of all time, and they pair perfectly with vanilla. Here’s how to make drinking vinegar at home:

    1. Place the plums, vanilla bean seeds and sugar in a glass jar or glass container with a tight fitting lid.
    2. Using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, mash the fruit until it is fully incorporated with the sugar.
    3. In a small saucepan bring vinegar to a gentle simmer. Pour the vinegar over the plum mixture and seal tightly. Shake the mixture a couple of times and refrigerate for 24 hours or up to a week depending on how strong you want the flavor to be.
    4. When ready to serve, strain the fruit mixture using a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.
    5. Mix equal parts shrub with club soda over ice. Add more or less to your liking. Serve and Enjoy!
    2 cups of Vanilla Plum Shrub with vanilla bean and fresh plums on a plate
    2 cups of Vanilla Plum Shrub with vanilla bean and fresh plums

    How Long Does A Shrub Last In the Fridge?

    We don’t think this shrub recipe will last longer than a few days—meaning, it’s so good, you’ll drink it well before it goes bad. But if you need it to last, it can. We like to use our homemade drinking vinegar before it hits the two-week mark. If stored in a jar with a tight fitting lid, shrubs can last up to four weeks before needing to toss them out and make a new batch.

    Tools You’ll Need

    2 cups of Vanilla Plum Shrub with vanilla bean and fresh plums on a plate

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    2 cups of Plum Shrub with vanilla bean and fresh plums on a plate

    Vanilla Plum Shrub Recipe

    Updated September 12, 2025

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  4
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  10 min
    • Calories:  228

    Description

    This vanilla bean-plum shrub can be sipped on—or shared with the under-21 crowd—with a little club soda added, or paired with a spirit and turned into a cocktail for the adults to enjoy.
    Print Recipe

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      Ingredients

      • 6 plums, pitted and roughly chopped
      • 1 cup brown sugar
      • 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped, pod reserved
      • 1 cup apple cider vinegar, unfiltered
      • 12-20 ounces club soda

      Method

      1. Place the plums in a glass jar or glass container with a tight fitting lid. Stir in the sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, mash the fruit until it is fully incorporated with the sugar. Put the vanilla pod in the jar.

      2. In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the vinegar to a gentle simmer. Pour the vinegar over the plum mixture and seal tightly. Shake the jar a couple of times, then refrigerate for 24 hours or up to one week depending on how developed you want the flavor to be.

      3. When ready to serve, strain the fruit mixture using a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.

      4. Mix equal parts plumb shrub with club soda over ice. Add more or less to your liking.

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      Nutrition Info

      • Per Serving
      • Amount
      • Calories 228
      • Protein 0 g
      • Carbohydrates 59 g
      • Total Fat 0 g
      • Dietary Fiber 1 g
      • Cholesterol 0 mg
      • Sodium 44 mg
      • Total Sugars 57 g

      Vanilla Plum Shrub

      Questions & Reviews

      Rated 5 stars by 3 readers

      or
      • Megan

        Followed the recipe for vanilla Plum Shrub. It tasted like vinegar….no plum or any other taste came through. I had to throw it all out. Read the recipe twice and went through my process. What did I do wrong?
        Megan

        How long did you refrigerate it. You need to refrigerate it at least 24 hours but if you want a stronger flavor you can refrigerate it longer. It is a shrub though so it definitely will taste like vinegar but you should get plum flavor as well.

      • Becky

        Can you sub other sweet fruits like strawberry or mango for the plum? Or sour? I cannot have grapefruit or blood orange (?) what would be a good sub for those?

        Yes! You can sub other fruits like berries, cherries etc..

      • Alaina

        5-star rating

        This turned out very delicious! I used 1 TBS of vanilla bean paste instead of the vanilla bean.

        Thanks Alaina, we are so happy that you love it!

      • Rosa

        5-star rating

        Tried this and loved it, absolutely delicious :) I would recommend changing the wording in the intro to the recipe. Adding alcohol doesn't "make it for the adults". Plenty of adults don't drink for health reasons, religious reasons, addiction issues, etc. Again absolutely loved it, just a suggestion! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

        Thanks Rosa, so happy you loved it! Thanks for the suggestion. :)

      • Jenn

        5-star rating

        This drink is so refreshing and so nice when I'm wanting something extra but without the alcohol.

        Thank you!

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