Element Shrub

Element Shrub is made with organic apple cider vinegar, whole fresh (non-GMO) fruit, and just a touch of pure cane sugar. The vinegar adds savory notes to the fruit and spices to create a flavor profile that is complex and refreshing.

Our apple cider vinegar shrubs pack a punch of flavor in every bottle and are the perfect solution for healthier, complex spirit-free drinks, craft cocktails and enhancing recipes for salad dressings, marinades and more!

Element Shrubs will keep for 24 months unopened and unrefrigerated (see best by date on bottle). Once you open them, we do recommend keeping them in the fridge. They should be good for another 9-12 months once you open them but let’s hope you need more before then! They are also naturally vegan and gluten free. The organic cane sugar that we use is Certified Vegan.

Read more about how Element Shrub came to be below!

Charlie and his wife Angela, like many young couples, enjoyed filling their evenings hosting dinner parties, creating craft cocktails for themselves and friends, sharing recipes, and always experimenting with new DIY projects (food and otherwise) at home.

When Angela was pregnant with their first child, she was craving something that had the complexity of a cocktail but couldn’t find a good, healthy non-alcoholic beverage on the market so they set out to create one!

During this time, Charlie and Angela got involved in a non-profit group that foraged local fruit in Cambridge, Massachusetts where they learned all about jamming, pickling and canning. One day, after harvesting 400 pounds of crabapples, they were looking for recipes for their bounty and came across the concept of shrubs.

Shrubs (not small bushes) have a long and complicated history dating back to the 15th century but the main ingredients for shrubs are vinegar, sugar (or some kind of sweetener) and fruit. The shrubs that Charlie and Angela make are based on the 17th century American version of the shrub that became popular during the colonial era as a way to preserve fruit harvested throughout the summer using vinegar (instead of citrus). Shrubs have evolved since then and they are excited to bring them back to your table.