What’s a shrub?
Shrubs are fruit-infused drinking vinegars. They have historical roots in the Middle East that date back as early as wine. The word ‘shrub’ comes from the Arabic sharab (syrup/to drink). Shrubs were originally made to preserve fruit and cool the body down. Later, colonizers popularized them across Europe (as they do) and shrubs took many forms: mixed with water as a refreshing drink, mixed with rum and lemon to help with scurvy, and even poured over ice in early Italy where sorbet was born!
In modern times, shrubs are making a come back where they are still enjoyed in many ways:
Over ice with sparkling water or iced tea
In cocktails and mocktails
In salad dressings and other kitchen creations
Drizzled over yogurt or ice cream
In espresso tonics
…and much more!
At Desert Shrubs, however, we believe that everyone deserves to enjoy the luxury of a fun drink and the health benefits that shrubs offer. We intentionally keep our prices accessible & keep our flavors down-to-earth to be enjoyed across different palettes. Our shrubs are naturally vegan and gluten-free with no added dyes/colors or artificial preservatives.
We care deeply about the environment and our local community so we source all our produce and herbs locally, and make sure to recycle packing materials and bottles whenever possible.
Our goal is to share shrubs far and wide. We want people to love these shrubs as much as we do!
Who we are
Hi, we’re Luke and Elle Kemp, partners in life, love, and food. Inspired by our home in the Hi-Dez and our love for homemade goodies that are as tasty as they are good for you, Desert Shrubs is our way of bottling up care, connection, and a bit of desert magic.
Both of us are avid home-cooks, and after years of sharing our homemade pickles, vinegars, and shrubs with our friends and family, we decided to give it a go of selling some of our creations. After a few experiments, we landed on something we’re truly proud of: Desert Shrubs.
We have big dreams for this little brand, including more flavors, more homemade creations, and more ways to share joy with our community. But for now, we hope you enjoy our shrubs as much as we love making them.
Cheers and drink your vinegar!