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Recipe Detail Page
Peach Shrub Espresso Tonic
Travel 2026
This is a sparkling, tangy riff on the espresso tonic I fell for in Nashville at Elegy Coffee. The sweet-sour coffee shrub, sweetened with peach syrup, brings a nuanced lift and welcome roundedness that plays beautifully with the bitter edge of espresso. It’s equal parts refreshing, gently bitter and complex, perfect for slow sipping on a lazy afternoon.
Makes 1 drink
1 shot espresso
1 1/2 oz Peach Coffee Shrub (recipe follows)
4 oz sparkling water, chilled
2 oz tonic water, like Fever-Tree Mediterranean
Tonic (LCBO 42330, 4 pk), chilled
1. In a chilled 12-oz glass filled three quarters with ice—ideally pebble ice—add espresso and coffee shrub. Top with sparkling water and tonic, and stir to combine. Serve immediately with a straw.
Makes 1 drink
PEACH COFFEE SHRUB
Vinegar and coffee might sound like an odd couple, but if you love shrubs, this is a dream team. Here, the sharp tang is softened with ripe, peachy sweetness, making a bold, bright, perhaps unconventional syrup that begs to be stirred into something fizzy.
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
1 cup (250 mL) water, divided
3/4 cup (175 mL) frozen peaches
3/4 cup (175 mL) white balsamic vinegar
1 cup (250 mL) coarsely ground espresso or dark roast coffee beans
1. In a small pot, heat sugar, 1/2 cup (125 mL) water and peaches over medium-high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Cool and strain, discarding solids. Transfer to a glass jar, cover and refrigerate.
2. In a medium-size bowl, stir vinegar, coffee and remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) water. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
3. Pour vinegar-coffee mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a glass jar, discarding solids. Stir in 1/4 cup (60 mL) peach syrup, saving rest for another use, such as sweetening iced tea. Cover and refrigerate shrub up to 1 month.
Makes generous 3/4 cup (175 mL)
