(Wine, ale, liqueur, cider, shrub...)

  
Shrub
(an old-fashioned vinegar drink base most of us have never heard of, much less tasted... but it makes a wonderful summer cooler or a healthy winter hot drink - good for what ails you!)
  

2 lbs. fruit (raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, currant)

2 cups white or apple cider vinegar

white or brown sugar

Wash the fruit and clean it up as needed. In a ceramic bowl, mash it thoroughly. Pour the vinegar over it without stirring and let it stand for 5 days, stirring once a day. Strain it through a sieve and measure the resulting juice... For every cup, add1/2 a pound of sugar. Boil this mixture gently for 10 minutes (put in a cinnamon stick, if you like) - remove scum as it forms. Strain it again, then pour it into bottles, cork them, and seal them with paraffin. Serve it cold by diluting the base liquid with water or ginger ale to taste; or stir hot water into it.