Good Food with Evan Kleiman: Vinegar That You Drink?

We had never heard of drinking vinegar until Elizabeth blogged about Toby Cecchini's article on vinegar "shrubs" last November. And now wouldn't you know, Toby Cecchini himself was on Good Food this past week! The interview was so intriguing, we thought we'd give these drinkable vinegars another look...

Cecchini says that people have been drinking vinegar throughout history. Sometimes you'd drink it as a straight shot, particularly in the case of aged Italian balsamics and Japanese black vinegars. Raw vinegars were also be mixed with water and a sweetener like honey or molasses to make a refreshing, non-alcoholic alternative to simple water.

Drinking vinegar is technically called a "shrub." To make it, you take straight vinegar and macerate fruit and sugar (or other sweetener) into it. Cecchini talks about making his own shrubs using apple cider vinegar and seasonal fruits like sour cherries and apricots.

He says drinking vinegars are definitely sour despite being sweetened. However, they have an interesting complexity and cleanse the palate in a way that sodas and fruit drinks alone cannot. If anyone has any leftover holiday partying to do, we think this would make a good beverage to offer anyone not drinking alcohol!

Have any of you tried making your own shrub since Elizabeth's post?

• To hear the whole interview and get a recipe for DIY Shrub, visit the Good Food website.
• Take a look at Toby Cecchini's article on drinking vinegars in the New York Times Magazine that sparked this interview.
• If you're not up for making your own, commercial drinking vinegars are available through sources like chefshop.com and Tait Farm Foods.

(Image: Flickr member Lori-B licensed under Creative Commons)

That hurts my stomach just thinking about it, but I know people who would do it: an Italian foreign exchange student who sipped the balsamic after his salad, and my brother-in-law, whose libation is the black vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and scallion cocktail is used for dipping dumplings.

posted by whytephoenix on January 6th 2009 at 10:46am
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I've noticed this trend growing now for a couple of years. In fact, as lemon prices continue to be high, using vinegar in cocktails is becoming more and more common.

I wrote about this in a 2008 Topline Trend newsletter, in fact: http://www.danamccauley.com/Newsletter.html

posted by Dana McCauley on January 6th 2009 at 11:28am
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I made a cranberry-ginger shrub for New Year's Eve. It was a hit! Here's my recipe:
http://wellfedeveryone.wordpress.com/2008/12/23/more-last-minute-gifts-cranberry-ginger-shrub/

posted by Wellfedeveryone on January 6th 2009 at 11:29am
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My second cousin has been drinking "honegar" his entire adult life and this man looks amazing. He pours hisself a glass of Vinegar , honey and hot water every morning. He has great skin, hair, few wrinkles and is so active. My daughter has decided to" take up the sword" and doesn't seem to mind the taste

posted by ms fish on January 6th 2009 at 11:33am
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I grew up drinking "Raspberry Vinegar" Which I guess was a shrug although this is the first time I've heard the term. We loved it. So refreshing. I still crave it, need to get a good raspberry patch going. My friends thought it was weird though so we always called is Raspberry Punch in front of them.

posted by Hanna on January 6th 2009 at 3:42pm
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erm, I meant shrub. That's what I get for skim reading.

posted by Hanna on January 6th 2009 at 3:44pm
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Apple Cider Vinegar is said to have a number of health properties -- check out http://www.bragg.com/books/acv_excerpt.html. Whenever I manage to drink it consistently (diluted with water), I lose weight. I even ran across a reference to drinking vinegar to lose weight in "Madame Bovary"!

posted by komori on January 6th 2009 at 5:05pm
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I drink Bragg organic apple cider vinegar as a natural cure all for acid indigestion. One swig works every time.

posted by stagegurl on January 6th 2009 at 7:41pm
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Interesting, can't say I've ever heard of anyone drinking vinegar. That being said, I'd probably try a shrub.

posted by Kalinda on January 6th 2009 at 10:46pm
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