Blueberry Shrub Cocktail

We’re always on the lookout for great gifts for our friends and family who love cooking. Round Pond olive oils have always been a go-to gift for us, ever since we discovered them on our first trip to Napa Valley years ago. If you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for the food and wine lover on your list, definitely check out the gift sets Round Pond has put together this year.

We think the shrub gift set (c/o) is a great option for holiday gift giving for friends, family, clients, or anyone who likes to cook. Wine is obviously a lovely gift, but this gift box includes a bottle of Italian Varietal olive oil, Meyer Lemon syrup, Merlot Cabernet vinegar, an olive oil pour spout, and a cocktail shaker. You can find the recipe for the shrub cocktail here.

Making shrub is easy. It’s essentially a simple syrup with fruit and vinegar added. It takes about 15 minutes and stores indefinitely in the refrigerator. It’s a great way to add fresh fruit flavors to cocktails and desserts in the middle of winter, and the red wine vinegar adds complexity. These cocktails seem at first glance summery, but they were just as good on a December weekend as they would be on the patio in July!

The cocktails are simply your favorite gin, your homemade shrub, and Meyer Lemon syrup shaken, strained over ice, and topped off with club soda and garnish. We used mint, but other herbs work as well, especially in winter!

We know not everyone who loves food loves to cook, and Round Pond has you covered on that front as well. We’d gladly give (or receive!) this Cabernet gift box, this Reserve Red and White gift set, or this 2009 vintage Reserve gift set that comes in a wooden box.

Thank you to Round Pond Estate for sponsoring this post.

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