Sherry Shrub

Stir shrub and Sherry gently over ice and strain into a small, tight-lipped, sherry glass.  Garnish with shave of lemon zest.

Shrub base:
1 quart fresh elderberries, trimmed from stems
1 cup fresh huckleberries
5 cups evaporated cane sugar
1 quart cider vinegar
1 oz. kosher salt
5 brown cardamon pods
1 oz. jigger of white pepper corns

In a large bowl, mildly press fruit with bottom of shaker tin till every berry is at least bruised.  Muddle spices in a mixing glass till all the corns are at least cracked.  Add sugar, cover and let sit 5 hours or until a good syrup has formed (this should happen in a cool place, refrigerate if not available.)  Add salt and vinegar and stir till salt has dissolved, cover and return to cool storage and let age for at least a week.  Then filter successively through a china cap then a cheesecloth.  Bottle in clean, sterile bottle leaving a few inches of air under the cap.  It is now ready to use, but another week of aging allows for a deeper, more lingering flavor.