blissful eats with tina jeffers: Peach drinking vinegar
Friday, August 10, 2012 at 2:57PM 
I don’t drink alcohol. Not only have I never been able to develop a taste for it I am highly allergic to it. If I drink more than one glass of wine I break out in hives all over my body. Sometimes I feel a little left out drinking a diet soda or glass of water when all the other grown-ups are sipping their cocktails. One of my favorite restaurants in Portland is Pok Pok and they have a long list of “drinking vinegars” available on their beverage menu. I had never heard of such a thing and was intrigued. I ordered a pomegranate drinking vinegar and after my first sip I was hooked. Drinking vinegars are shockingly refreshing and are great palate cleansers, they don’t leave that sugary taste in your mouth like most sodas do. The process does involve planning ahead, the fruit has to macerate for 5 days in the vinegar. I must also warn you that the smell that the mixture makes as you are boiling it can be a bit strong but the end result is totally worth it. Since we are entering peak fruit season I can’t wait to make a blackberry or raspberry version next. For more recipes be sure to visit me at www.scalingbackblog.com.
Peach drinking vinegar
Makes about 1 quart of syrup
Ingredients:
1 pound ripe peaches or any other fruit you desire, pears, apples, plums, blackberries
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup fresh herbs such as thyme, basil or tarragon
½ cup sugar or more to taste
soda water
ice
Method:
Rinse the fruit and remove any seeds. Place in a large pot and lightly mash the fruit with a wooden spoon. Pour in enough vinegar to cover the fruit and cover the top with a lid. Let the mixture macerate at room temperature for 5 days, stirring once a day.
After 5 days, stir in the ½ cup sugar bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the herbs, let the mixture cool for 20 minutes and then strain.
To serve add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the syrup to a large glass filled with ice and then fill the rest of the glass with soda water. If the mixture is too tart add a little more sugar to the syrup mixture. The syrup will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.
blissful eats, tina jeffers
Reader Comments (8)
Yummy -- that looks so refreshing!
Very odd! I've never heard of that either. What does it taste like? Vinegar tends to kinda make me queasy...so I'm a bit wary, but it just looks so yummy!
http://munchtalk.blogspot.com
How very interesting! This must have great health benefits also, no? I think it looks delicious! Will definitely try!
It can take a bit of getting used to and if you don't like the tart sharp flavor of vinegar it might not be for you. An option is to use a small amount in the beginning or add a bit more sweetener and then gradually increase the amount of syrup you use. I have become totally addicted to any kind of drinking vinegar and prefer them over soda. Hope you enjoy it if you try the recipe!
this sounds incredible! i've never drank vinegar before but i think i will today :) i just made a very similar drink with plums and basil instead of peach and thyme, would love if you checked it out!
http://delightfulcrab.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/plum-basil-fizz/
I would love to know where you got those glasses!
Delicious! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. I just made my very own batch (with cherries). It turned out great. Check it out: http://lovelyapidae.blogspot.com/2012/08/drinking-vinegar.html
I've never heard of drinking vinegars but they sound great! It's nice to have an alternative to alcohol that isn't juice or soda.