Strawberry Balsamic Pantry Hour

Cooking the strawberries gives this soda a deeper fruit flavor, while balsamic vinegar adds a rounded tang and black pepper a warm aroma. Straining keeps the final glass clean rather than jam-like. The vinegar should make the strawberry more interesting without becoming the strongest thing you smell. This takes a little preparation, but the finished drink has a clear sweet-and-sour character. It's a useful dinner spritz for someone who likes fruit but wants something more layered than strawberry lemonade.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 2 oz Water for syrup
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
• 2 peppercorn Black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 5 oz Sparkling water, chilled

Make it

1. Gently simmer the strawberries, syrup water, sugar and peppercorns for 5 minutes until the fruit softens.
2. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, strain through a fine sieve and cool briefly. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
3. Pour the chilled shrub into a glass, top with sparkling water and stir once. Serve immediately.

Benefits

Strawberry · a little vitamin C

Strawberry brings some vitamin C to the mix—a nutrient involved in collagen formation for healthy skin, alongside a rounded, tangy edge from balsamic.

Balsamic with a little lift

The balsamic brings a rounded, tangy edge, alongside strawberry and black pepper; the chilled carbonated mixer adds a crisp texture to that pairing.