Mangosteen and Lychee syrup & shrub

A tropical twist to the usually berry-based American fruit shrubs, made by fermenting fruit for just enough time for it to become slightly vinegary and perfect to be served over ice and with a splash of spirit if you like and soda. A perfect non-alcoholic thirst-quenching summer drink.

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Ingredients

For the shrub syrup

4-5 mangosteen fruits, white parts only
2 mangosteen peels or husks, broken into pieces
3 lychees, seeds removed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

For the shrub

2 oz. dark rum, optional
2 oz. shrub syrup
Ice to fill a glass
Chilled soda, optional

Instructions

Make the shrub syrup

In a medium bowl, mash the fruit, peels, sugar, and water and store this in a jar covered with cheesecloth for 1-2 days. It should start to show signs of bubbling and souring: fermentation.
Mix daily for up to 1 week, after which you can taste it. If it isn't soured enough or you wish to sour more, leave the ferment going for another few days or so, keeping an eye on it all the while. Once the ferment tastes good enough to you, strain through a fine sieve into a clean bowl, pressing on the fruit and peel pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. Keep in mind that the mangosteen ferment will have a red wine-like mouthfeel that can be a little strong, but mellows as it ages (or can be mellowed with soda/water dilutions later).
Pour into a bottle or jar, seal tightly, and leave out on the counter to become more acidic and fizzy, after which it should be consumed right away or the bottle burped and refrigerated.
Alternatively, simply bottle and refrigerate after decanting. The syrup can be kept in the fridge for up to two months.

Make the shrub

Combine rum (if using) and syrup in a glass filled with ice cubes
Top with club soda if the syrup is itself not fizzy enough, and stir to combine.

Notes

Note that this recipe uses some water in the initial fermentation because we are adding mangosteen husk/peels.
You can make this very shrub with any number of other fruits--berries, stone fruits, pineapples, karonda or the natal plum, jamoons all work very well. The fruits will release their own liquid and won’t need any additional water. Flower petals can be used, too--rose, amaltas, butterfly pea and passion flowers for example--but they will require hydration.