Have you ever taken a moment just to be curious? George always did. For those of us of a certain age, Curious George was an inspiring character in our young lives. Curious George was always trying out old things in new ways to our delight. His curiosity opened up the world to laughter and mishap, but also generally to some important life lesson. And of course George is a chimpanzee, so he has instant credibility. We think George would like our collaborative projects at Tapatree.
About 10 years ago I visited Colonial Williamsburg with my children and we were attracted to a variety of shrub offerings on the drinks menu. We learned that shrub was an early American concentrated syrup added to any number of base beverages to make a drink delicious. Shrub is the concentrated syrup melded from preserving ripe fruit in a combination of vinegar and sugar. In Colonial America, shrub was ladled off to make rum and water more palatable--it was early American mixology. The shrub we sampled that day was fine, but it inspired a deeper exploration of our own. For example, we knew that in early Colonial America, maple syrup was the dominant sweetener available (and we know how amazing that can be). We also knew how the magic of maple trees can really open up and amplify the flavors of fruits. Plants simply play well together. Thus started our journey to make delicious shrubs with New York fruits--an opportunity to weave our legendary Whole Maple syrup with the produce cultivated by New York small fruit farmers. The simple magic of Tapatree shrub is that it preserves the essence of the ripe fruit drawn out by the magic of maple and acidified with a carefully selected vinegar blend. Our shrubs are presented in concentrated form so that you can use them to taste: Full strength in a cordial glass for slow sipping; added to flat or bubbly water for a spritzer; layered in your specialty cocktails; or paired with a hot tea to make a soothing toddy. The possibilities are endless and eminently customizable to your palate.
So where does the curiosity come in? For the sober curious, shrubs are a delightful way to incorporate a flavorful, sippable creation in a life-affirming way. As the zero proof movement rapidly grows, Tapatree shrubs stand out for their simple, high-quality ingredients, their customizable use, and the eschewing of
psychoactive ingredients (why swap one psychoactive for another?). Adding Tapatree shrubs to your bar back opens up a world of possibility to you and your guests. They are a flavorful
addition to your daily life and quality entertaining. Of course, with our clients being naturally curious, you're already telling us of expanded uses of our elixirs--in fresh salad dressings, mixed into smoothies, and added to marinades. We appreciate hearing about all of your creations!
To take what is "old" and make it "new" again is to look at the familiar and see it in new light, to be curious. In our minds, where you start with authenticity and add a continuing stream of curiosity, a world of good can evolve. We hope you will taste that love in our shrub collection, currently with Strawberry, Sour Cherry, Red Currant, Mélange à Trois (blueberry, red currant and black currant), Peach, and coming soon, Solstice (a warm spicy shrub), and Saffron Ximénez (with Ximenez sherry vinegar and saffron). We trust you will love them all! In the meantime, keep dreaming, remain curious, and raise a glass to our collective inspirations. Cheers!
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