Post by Granny Smith on Mar 9, 2016 13:12:03 GMT -5
Light and refreshing. My favorite so far has been raspberry.
Sipping Vinegars
A sharp, tangy infusion of fruit, vinegar and sugar, sipping vinegars (aka shrubs) can trace their roots back to American colonial days, though regions across the globe from the Middle East to Asia have all at one point offered their own interpretations. With a snap of fresh fruit flavor, drinking vinegars offer the ultimate thirst-quenching refreshment, and they’re versatile, adding a tanginess to alcohol-free sodas and cocktails. They’re also surprisingly simple to whip up at home, and with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Some methods call for cooking a syrup, but we like how the freshness of fruit stays in the forefront with the following steep-and-refrigerate method.
2 cups fresh, whole berries (frozen also works)
2 cups vinegar (we like using Champagne or apple cider vinegar, though distilled white vinegar may be substituted in a pinch)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, or more, to taste (see Note)
Combine the fruit and vinegar in a large jar, tightly screw on the lid and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Let infuse for one week at room temperature, shaking daily. Strain the juice through a double layer of cheesecloth and funnel into a clean glass bottle. Add sugar and shake to combine. Refrigerate for one week before using, shaking daily until sugar has fully dissolved. Will keep for months in the refrigerator.
To dilute in a drink, add one ounce (or more, depending on taste) to five ounces of soda water. Serve over ice. Following the method outlined above, you can experiment with these other flavor combinations:
Blackberry + fresh thyme
Cucumber + mint + honey
Cherry + vanilla bean + maple syrup
Ginger + Demerara sugar
Apple + agave
Strawberry + basil
Note: I use 1 part fruit, 1 part vinegar, and 1 1/2 parts sugar.
Sipping Vinegars
A sharp, tangy infusion of fruit, vinegar and sugar, sipping vinegars (aka shrubs) can trace their roots back to American colonial days, though regions across the globe from the Middle East to Asia have all at one point offered their own interpretations. With a snap of fresh fruit flavor, drinking vinegars offer the ultimate thirst-quenching refreshment, and they’re versatile, adding a tanginess to alcohol-free sodas and cocktails. They’re also surprisingly simple to whip up at home, and with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Some methods call for cooking a syrup, but we like how the freshness of fruit stays in the forefront with the following steep-and-refrigerate method.
2 cups fresh, whole berries (frozen also works)
2 cups vinegar (we like using Champagne or apple cider vinegar, though distilled white vinegar may be substituted in a pinch)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, or more, to taste (see Note)
Combine the fruit and vinegar in a large jar, tightly screw on the lid and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Let infuse for one week at room temperature, shaking daily. Strain the juice through a double layer of cheesecloth and funnel into a clean glass bottle. Add sugar and shake to combine. Refrigerate for one week before using, shaking daily until sugar has fully dissolved. Will keep for months in the refrigerator.
To dilute in a drink, add one ounce (or more, depending on taste) to five ounces of soda water. Serve over ice. Following the method outlined above, you can experiment with these other flavor combinations:
Blackberry + fresh thyme
Cucumber + mint + honey
Cherry + vanilla bean + maple syrup
Ginger + Demerara sugar
Apple + agave
Strawberry + basil
Note: I use 1 part fruit, 1 part vinegar, and 1 1/2 parts sugar.
