Tomato, Lovage and Lemon Balm Shrub

IN Features
< 1 minute read/by Danny Whelan

Stemming from the Arabic term ‘sharab’, meaning ‘to drink’, making a shrub preserves the flavours of in-season produce using sweeteners and vinegar. Using native botanical lemon balm replaces the bright, fresh qualities that might be missed through the exclusion of conventional fresh citrus. After a resting period, the concentrate produced is both sweet and sour, while encapsulating the flavour of the fruit/veg.

Ingredients:

500g Garden Tomatoes
300g Local City Honey
300g Scottish Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Lockerbie Cider Vinegar producer Waulkmill)
100g dehydrated Lovage flowers
20g dehydrated Lemon Balm

Method:

Chop tomatoes into quarters to increase surface area, add all ingredients to a mason jar and stir to dissolve the honey. Leave for three days and then muddle the tomatoes. Allow to rest for 1-2weeks. Taste throughout the process.

Strain through muslin or other fine cloth when the desired acidity/balance is achieved. Aim for a light acidity with a balanced finish.

Produces approx. 700ml of concentrate.

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© BRUICHLADDICH DISTILLERY, ISLAY.

A G&T for slow weekends. Sage is a popular garden herb, one which usually manages to survive the winter months here in Scotland. It adds a deep herbal flavour and works a treat with a wedge of clementine or two.

Happy weekend from The Botanist Team!

#TheBotanistGin #GinandTonic #WeekendDrinks

A G&T for slow weekends. Sage is a popular garden herb, one which usually manages to survive the winter months here in Scotland. It adds a deep herbal flavour a...

Want to make 2022 a more sustainable year? Get in the team! Maybe you’re already living out a resolution?
-
Our bottles can be recycled, or reused. If you’ve found a good reuse for your bottles we’d love to see! Share them with us tagging @thebotanistgin and we’ll repost some of the best this time next week.
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eg Foraged oils: Oils can take flavours pretty quickly, so if you are giving these to someone, just make them 24 hours in advance. Keep plants covered; once you start to use them and the level drops, strain the plants out, the flavour will already be in there.
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eg Lamps: These from a biji biji initiative workshop in Malaysia, reusing old banners / textiles too! @mereka.my The glass is drilled, the shade sewn, and the light bulb holder stuck with glue…
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#sustainablespirits #reuserecycle #upcyclingideas #thebotanist

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🌿The ‘berries’ which are needed for gin production are actually fleshy seed cones and have a sharp, piney, resinous flavour.

🌿Scottish juniper creates important habitat (and food) for many small birds and mammals. It has been identified as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species by The Forestry Commission.

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#TheBotanistGin #IsleofIslay #ScottishJuniper #Conservation

Hear all about the local juniper conservation work going on during the winter months by our in-house forager James Donaldson. Here’s 3 things you might not kn...

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© BRUICHLADDICH DISTILLERY, ISLAY.

THE BOTANIST ISLAY DRY GIN