Janet Chen, owner and operator of Mad Maiden, is introducing Madison to the next best thing: shrubs, also known as drinking vinegars.
Shrubs are concentrated fruit and vinegar syrups used to add a flavor boost in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Just add one part shrubs to five parts juice, tonic, sparkling or still water or any other beverage, and you’ve got an innovative, refreshing drink.
Originally popularized in the 17th and 18th century as a way to preserve produce and as an alcohol additive, this fruit-infused vinegar drink is making a comeback as a healthier alternative to juices and sodas and as a splash of sophistication in the average cocktail.
Chen is working to expand this trend into the Madison area with her innovative flavors of shrubs, such as cranberry, honey ginger and her seasonal variety, all of which have their own unique personalities, according to her.
“I talk about the flavors like they have personalities,” she said, “Cranberry is very self-centered, because gin has juniper berry, orange or lemon peel, tonic cranberry juice, very matchy-matchy. Honey is strong but versatile; it plays with fruit or ginger. Seasonal is classic, like a farm putting stuff away, a little diluted. There’s a classic person, self-centered and a more versatile person.”
Janet Chen initially founded Mad Maiden to incorporate her homesteading background to create a new product to help limit food waste and bring an innovative twist to the beverage market.
With the popularity of other fermented drinks, such as kombucha and wine, Chen hopes to capitalize on this trend while bringing her own flair by creating small batches of shrubs with locally-sourced ingredients from nearby Wisconsin farms and orchards.
“Infusing vinegar is like making tinctures and salves with wildcrafted fruit and herbs. It is creative, hands-on, and connects us to the Earth,” Chen says, “Plus drinking vinegars are a great way to use food that would otherwise be wasted.”
What makes Mad Maiden so unique isn’t only her inventive product, but rather the care she brings to selecting quality, homegrown ingredients. She cites one of her proudest moments being able to incorporate plums from her friend’s 30-year-old plum tree, adding a personal touch to her product.
Chen said, “It’s not a scalable product, but it's a personal and unusual fruit. It’s a proud moment to take. That year, with that orchard, he planted plums thirty years ago, and they produced for the first time in 2013. That’s a long time, for thirty years to produce three times. It was a proud moment. It’s not a usual business practice, but it’s a really unique opportunity.”
Currently, you can find Mad Maiden shrubs in a variety of local Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago and Minnesota grocery stores, along with ordering online at https://www.madmaidenshrub.com/
You can also meet Janet and try a sample of her shrubs each Sunday at the Monroe Street Farmers Market at the Edgewood High School parking lot from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.