Shrub Orange-Cardamom Syrup

Shrub Orange-Cardamom Syrup for Kitchen and Glass

Schusters Shrub Orange-Cardamom Syrup is a vinegar-based fruit syrup made from sun-ripened oranges and cardamom. It seasons salads, cheese, and oriental dishes, and can be mixed with sparkling water to make a refined lemonade.

Shrub Orange-Cardamom Syrup is the savory-fruity vinegar-based fruit syrup from the Schusters Shrub manufactory in the Steigerwald. Sun-ripened oranges provide the sweetness, cardamom pods the subtle spice, and apple cider vinegar the natural acidity. A variety for anyone who loves fruit and spice combined in a glass and on a plate.

Sweet orange, fine cardamom, warm

On the nose, there is juicy orange, accompanied by the warm, slightly resinous scent of cardamom. The aroma itself has something festive about it, almost like a spice market at Christmas time.

On the palate, the sweetness of the orange combines with the spice of the cardamom—fruity, aromatic, festive—carried by the lively acidity of the apple cider vinegar. The two complement each other brilliantly; the orange provides the fruit, the cardamom the depth. The taste and aroma come 100 percent from fruit and spice.

The finish leaves a fine, spicy note. There are around 62 g of sugar and only 0.004 g of salt per 100 g, with fruit and spice clearly taking center stage. Such a shrub is economical; even a small splash is enough for a large glass.

With tangy cheese and chicory salad

In the kitchen, it is a versatile companion. It goes well with chicory and frisée salads, tangy cheese, and as an appetizer with a carpaccio of colorful beets.

In oriental cuisine, it harmonizes with couscous, bulgur, or black olives and gives sauces a fruity depth. Sweet, spicy, aromatic—it elevates a dish in a refined way. In desserts, it is excellent in a mousse au chocolat or over Greek yogurt.

One tablespoon in 1 liter of ice-cold sparkling water and you have a fine lemonade with a hint of orange. The 250 ml bottle is enough for many glasses, as even a small splash brings a lot of flavor.

It is particularly good in the colder season, as orange and cardamom have something Christmassy about them. A splash in punch, a spoonful over baked pear, and a wonderful aroma drifts through the kitchen. In this way, a single bottle becomes a small supply of festive cheer for the cold season.

Hanna macerates oranges and cardamom in apple cider vinegar

In her small manufactory in the Steigerwald, Hanna Schuster macerates oranges and cardamom in apple cider vinegar for months until their aromas are naturally infused into the vinegar.

Afterward, the fruit and spice are removed, the fruit vinegar is seasoned with sugar, and bottled while hot. This is a method of preserving fruit that has been used for over 200 years, and without preservatives, the 250 ml bottle will last about three years. "In a shrub, the ingredient should set the tone," Hanna emphasizes, and that is exactly what you taste.

Once opened, the syrup does not need to be refrigerated, it just needs to be kept in a dark place. It also works well as a cocktail ingredient with vodka and juice. You can find more from the manufactory among the syrups from Schusters Shrub. If you like orange and cardamom, you will find an even spicier relative in the Oriental variety.