Herbal Spotlight: Beach Rose, With Rose Drinking Shrub Recipe

The beach roses have been particularly stunning this year; inspiring me to create goodies beyond my normal bar syrup for drinks with them. They’ve been so vivid & fragrant, I want to capture them so we may enjoy them all year. Enter this new Beach Rose Drinking Shrub….

Before I begin, I would like to clearly state that Nature is powerful & is to be respected. One must be very clear of WHAT they are harvesting, HOW it was grown [near heavily trafficked roads? sprayed with pesticides?] & how they plan to USE it. It is crucial you are 100% sure of the ID of any plant before harvesting & using it. Also, it is important to only take what you will use & be sure not to overpick from any one plant or stand of plants in order to ensure their continued growth. Cheers!
 This information has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, but is based off my personal experiences.

 
​Here in mid-coast Maine you are most likely to come upon the wild briar-rose, also called dog rose [rosa canina,] &, of course, the gorgeous Beach Roses we are featuring in this post. Beach roses, specifically the Rosa rugosa species, grow in huge, unruly hedgerows here on the coast of Maine. They offer a variety of benefits when used in food & cosmetics. For example, we use the blossoms & the rose hips in many of the products we make. 

Find Rose Featured In These Products Of Ours:

Rose Gold Radiance Serum, With Mushroom & Chicory Extracts

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Spiced Rose Perfume Oil

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Rose Gold Luminous Face Serum

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Hibiscus Bust & Neck Age-Defense Cream, Micro-Algae & Snow Mushroom

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Rose Gold Luminous Face Mask

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Tiger Grass Skin Barrier Recovery Serum With Rice Ceramides

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Balancing Herbal Micellar Water

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Botanical Bliss Adaptogenic Herbal Tea With Tulsi & Butterfly Pea Flower

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'BRIGHT' Perfume Oil

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Soothing Restorative Herbal Mist

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Botanical Body Oil, BRIGHT

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Balancing Herbal Elixir Facial Mist

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Here is a quick breakdown of their many properties & uses:

Rose Petals:    The petals of the beach rose are also edible & are what we will be using to make our Drinking Shrub. They have a lovely, delicate & slightly sweet flavor.

• Culinary Uses: They can be used fresh in salads, infused into syrups or jellies, or dried for teas. They can also be incorporated into baked goods for flavor & aroma.
• Health Benefits: Rose petals contain vitamins A and C, as well as essential oils. They are known for their antioxidant & anti-inflammatory properties, & traditionally used to treat ailments like stomach aches & skin conditions. 

Rose Hips:   These are the fruit of the beach rose & are edible, high in Vitamin C, antioxidants, & essential fatty acids.

• Nutritional Powerhouse: They contain a significant amount of vitamin C, even more than oranges.
• Culinary Uses: Rose hips can be used to make jams, jellies, teas, cordials & sauces. They can be eaten raw, dried for later use in teas, or boiled for jam.
• Health Benefits: Rose hips support immune function, combat oxidative stress, & may help with digestion due to their fiber content.

Rose Hips are also fabulous to forage. See our other posts about them

Foraged RoseHips & Jelly Recipe

photo:kaityfarrell

Now, on to the making of our Drinking Shrub!  I can feel a few of you out there going “What the heck is a shrub? When I say SHRUB, I am not referring to your bushes! I am talking about culinary shrubs, sometimes referred to as drinking vinegars. Shrubs are the result of fruits/veggies/aromatics preserved by being acidulated with a combination of vinegar & a sweetener. Created as a way of preserving your harvest [& its vitamins] to store in the days before refrigeration, shrubs were incredibly popular in Colonial times. 

The result is a rather magical liquid that aids digestion, quenches thirst, & adds a deeply sweet-tart complexity to drinks & dishes that you are hard pressed to find elsewhere! There are quick shrubs & aged ones, where the natural fermentation process kicks into overdrive & creates even more probiotic, digestive support. On top of being wonderful for you, the flavors shrubs provide are outrageous & are being fully embraced by modern bartenders & at-home mixologists -- especially those looking to skip the alcohol, but keep the flavors in their drinks.
The possibilities are endless!

This is an aged shrub, so it takes a couple weeks before it’s ready to use– but it is so worth the wait! This short aging process creates a full flavor & fabulous probiotics to support good digestion.  For this recipe, you will need about 1 cup of fresh rose petals [roughly 2 cups packed to create one full cup]. When picking, you can easily snatch the petals off with a quick twist of the wrist, leaving the center reproductive parts of the rose on the bush– that way they will still make a rose hip later in the season! [waste not, want not!]  

We are using the big, bold Beach Roses here, but you can use the petals of any rose for this recipe. Be very careful to only harvest from plants that have not been treated with pesticides.

BEACH ROSE DRINKING SHRUB

STEP 1:  

• 1 cup PACKED fresh rose petals
• 1 vanilla bean, spilt/ cut into 4ths
• 2’ fresh ginger peeled/rough chop
• ¼ c sugar
• 8 oz raw honey

STEP 2:

• 6 oz apple cider vinegar
• 4 oz white vin. 

This recipe makes about 20 ounces of finished Rose Shrub.
Begin by collecting your petals. Place them in a clean jar that has a tight-sealing lid. Split your vanilla bean & cut it into fourths, Add the bean & your peeled/chopped ginger to the petals. Pour your raw honey over the top of this mix, completely covering the petals. Lastly, add your sugar in a layer over the very top– pushing the petals under the surface.
​Do not stir everything together, but rather use the honey & sugar like a cap to cover all the plant matter. Put a piece of wax paper over the jar mouth, cap & tuck aside on your counter to macerate for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, uncap, & add your vinegars. I like a combo of Apple Cider Vinegar & plain white– but you can use whatever vinegars you prefer.
​Stir to combine completely, pushing the plant matter down so none sticks above the surface. Recap & pop your jar into the fridge.
Now we wait for the flavors to marry & the shrub to cure.  You can get away with a cure of 2 weeks if you are impatient, but I like to let it cure for a full 4 weeks so it has time to develop the fullest flavor.

photo:veggiedesserts

Once your shrub has finished curing, simply strain it off & decant. It is ready to use! 
Add it to plain, fizzy water or lemonade for a sharp, tart treat. Or, get creative & play with it in zero-proof & craft-cocktails. It will last rather indefinitely in your fridge. 

The rose flavor plays well with other members of the rose family [apricot, cherry, strawberry, quince], ginger, citrus, gin, vodka, & prosecco. Here is a zero-proof drink I like to make with it using other Rose Family members:

Zero-Proof Cocktail:  Three Sisters
 Crafted with three members of the Rose family, these are both sharp & soft, sweet & tart all at the same time. Unique & refreshing! This drink uses our Maine Beach Rose Shrub, giving it an extra invigorating dimension.

• 1-2 Strawberries, hulled & sliced + 1 for garnish
• 0.75 oz Cherry Bar Syrup [*recipe below or use plain if not available]
• 0.75 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
• 0.5 oz Rose Shrub 
• 1-2 oz Soda Water​

Build your drink: Prepare a coupe glass. Add strawberry slices to mixing tin & muddle well. Add grapefruit, syrup, & shrub to tin, fill with ice & shake well to mix. Strain into the waiting coupe & top with a splash of soda water to taste. Garnish with remaining strawberry: cut it in half, slide onto cocktail pick & add a small, edible flower to garnish.

Cherry Bar Syrup:  Start by bringing 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, & ½ cup fresh cherries [sliced & pitted] to a boil, stirring as you heat. Turn off heat & allow your syrup to steep for about 10 minutes before straining. Cool & bottle. [this will last in your fridge for about 1 week]

That's it for this post-- Please let me know how yours comes out & what you make with it! I love hearing from y'all.  Okay-- now get out there & #StopAndEatTheFlowers