Winter 2018, Bebemos!, RecipesTorrey Douglass

Huckleberry Shrub & Ginger Syrup Cocktail

Winter 2018, Bebemos!, RecipesTorrey Douglass
Huckleberry Shrub & Ginger Syrup Cocktail

by Cally Dym


My grandfather Ole always took us huckleberry gathering, and he taught me what I now call the S&C method—Strip and Cocktail. He taught me to strip the branch, including leaves, unripe berries and spiders, and then sit at the kitchen table and have a cocktail while cleaning your bounty.

Huckleberry Shrub

  • 1 c huckleberries

  • 1 c sugar

  • 1 c champagne or cider vinegar

Smash the berries by hand or in a food processor. Heat the sugar and vinegar together until sugar is dissolved. Add berries and simmer five minutes. Cool and strain. (The remaining pulp is an excellent base for a gastric.)

Ginger Syrup

  • 4" fresh ginger, sliced (it’s okay to leave the skin on)

  • 1 c sugar

  • 1 c water

Heat the sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Add ginger and simmer until reduced by half. Cool.

Cocktail

  • 1-½ oz Russell Henry Gin

  • 1 oz huckleberry shrub

  • 1/2 oz ginger syrup

  • Dash orange bitters

Pour all ingredients over ice. Garnish with orange slice. Extra credit garnish: fresh berries and/or
crystalized ginger from the syrup.

Little River Inn
7901 Highway 1, Little River, CA
LittleRiverInn.com | (707) 937-5667

Cally Dym is a fifth generation innkeeper of Little River Inn in Little River. Stop by the inn’s bar, Ole’s Whale Watch Bar, to enjoy a drink with a view and a light bar menu.

Photo by Brendan McGuigan