Glam Editor Blogs

Citrus is one of the brightest notes of the Winter culinary landscape. Finding any new citrus products or ways to use citrus helps get me through the darkest days. My latest find? Rhum Clément Creole Shrubb. Until a week or so ago, I had never heard of Creole Shrubb but now I’m in love with the stuff. Shrub or shrubb, is a fruity syrup, often made with some vinegar and used in beverages. In the French West Indies every family has their own recipe and uses it in rum cocktails.

The Clément family who make a range of rum in Martinique, not only have their own secret recipe, but combine it with white and aged rum to make an orange liqueur they call Creole Shrubb. In addition to citrus it also includes vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In the midst of Winter this lusciously aromatic blend of citrus, spice and rum is just the thing to perk up your cocktail. It adds sophistication and complexity to even the most ordinary margarita.

Creative bartenders like Duggan McDonnell of Cantina and cocktail experts like Jordan Mackay are making truly innovative drinks using Creole Shrubb combining it with the likes of amontillado sherry and laphroaig whisky. Try it in place of Triple Sec, Grand Marnier or Cointreau or use it as your own “secret ingredient.”

Here’s a recipe for a most delicious cocktail, the Clément Sidecar. The Sidecar is a Parisian cocktail and is thought to be the inspiration for both the Margarita and the Daiquiri.

Clément Sidecar
1 ½ ounces Clément V.S.O.P. Rum
1 ounce Clément Creole Shrubb
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
Lemon or orange peel

Rub a citrus rind along the rim of a chilled cocktail glass. Dip the rim in granulated sugar. Put cracked ice in a shaker. Add one ounce of Clément Creole Shrubb, 3/4 ounce of lemon juice, and one ounce of the rum. Shake, then strain into the glass and garnish with lemon or orange peel.—–Amy Sherman

Technorati Tags: citrus, rum, cocktail, Martinique, West Indies, orange, liqueur, creole, shrubb, shrub

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