drinking vinegars?

[chazzerking]

When we were in Portland, OR a couple of weeks ago, we tried some fruit flavored drinking vinegars at a terrific Thai restaurant called Pok Pok. we have been totally unable to find them at any oriental or international grocery stores or any listings for them online except foor one site in Hong Kong that doesn't ship. Anyone have any ideas where to find them?

[AdamD]

The Japanese drink it for health benefits.
My wife takes a shot of brown rice vinegar every day.

[jbelden13]

Whenever i'm a little hungover..I always drink the picklejuice right out of the jar from the side on the refrig. It is an instant cure to clear your head. It quenches your thirst immediately. Really..try it sometime.

[grayelf]

There is an all Taiwanese grocery store here in Vancouver (Richmond, actually) that carries a variety of boxed drinking vinegars. The store is called Kuo Hua in case there is one in your area.

[mellycooks]

I live in Portland and love Pok Pok! I read on their website that they are going to start producing their drinking vinegars commercially in the near future. Here's an explanation of the vinegars and an email address so you can be notified when they go on sale.

http://www.pokpoksom.com/main.html

[alkapal]

""""Pok Pok Som drinking vinegars are now available for purchase by the bottle at Pok Pok, Whiskey Soda Lounge and Ping restaurants (they make a great gift!). Tamarind, Honey, Apple and Pomegranate are the first four flavors to be released, and there is a limited amount available. Look for more flavors and broader distribution in the new year....."""" from FB

~~~~~~~~~
i'm going to look for that pineapple vinegar mentioned upthread by adventure dad. thanks for the photo; it helps a lot!

[dinaofdoom]

sadly, i didn't see any when i visited the big asian supermarket here in austin.
i may have to search out some online sources...
seeing as i love drinking vinegary things, i am pretty sure i would like drinking vinegars.
and given how hot it gets here, they would be very refreshing summertime drinks.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Martin Pouret vinegars from Orleans, France are wine they turn at last minute. The degree of vinegar is 5-7 % depending on style and l do a few tbl each morning to start my engine. Not a drinking vinegar, but for me a drinking vinegar.

[AdventureDad]

Just tried some pinneapple vinegar from Uwajimaya in Beaverton. I saw it on the refridg shelf and decided to give it a try. It was the Shih Chuan Pineapple Vinegar Drink in 4.93fl oz (140ml) pack. It was cold... I braced myself for a stinging chrispness of vinegar.... this was not the case. WOW what a great drink. It was very light and sweet. It reminded me most of fresh pineapple juice. Not the canned or bottled stuff - the juice straight from a fresh cut pineapple. I will buy more.

[liu]

Thanks for sharing this find, AdventureDad! This interests me. I will look for it! You have made it much easier with the picture included!

What is Uwajimaya? Is that a Japanese Supermarket? Are you in Oregon?

Also, do you know what else is in that packet...lots of sugar or other additives?

[PegS]

Cool! I never thought about looking in a Japanese market. My husband and I fell hard for Taiwanese ones when we were in Hong Kong a few years ago, but the ready-to-drink kind keep disappearing from Asian markets here in the Bay Area.

[liu]

Hi, PegS. I'm not so sure this Shih Chuan Pineapple vinegar is a Japanese product. I asked AdventureDad above and he has not yet responded.

I searched two large Japanese Markets today in the Los Angeles area and neither market had such a drink. One associate even suggested I try a Chinese market.

[soopergirl]

So three years later I finally made some drinking vinegar! They are super easy to make - and just as good as store bought (or Pok Pok's homemade) in my opinion. I had to share. Sorry!
http://sooperfarmerjo.blogspot.com/20...

[Orchid64]

Drinking vinegar is sold in Japan, but I've never tried it. Mainly, people drink it for potential health benefits (mainly weight loss and combating fatigue), but I don't think there is any proof that it does anything for your health (or weight). I've read that you have to be very careful not to drink too much vinegar as it is highly acidic and can have some bad effects on your stomach and throat. There may also be long-term consequences to bone density and teeth enamel.

Most of the medical tests which support drinking vinegar for health purposes that I've seen were sponsored by vinegar makers (like Mizkan, a popular maker in Japan). So, you might want to research the possible negative effects before investing in importing drinking vinegar.

[htownjojo]

The best vinegar to drink for medicinal purposes is hands down apple cider vinegar - Braggs unfiltered is the best. 1 to 2 tablespoons added to glass of water...some people add honey if it's too sour. You get use to the tang...very good for you. Helps balance the ph, good for blood sugar balance as well, candida...list goes on and on.

[Soup]

I love pickle juice and alway searching for drink that is not sweetner based. It seems like in the US, vast majority of drinks are sugar based and we don't have much options otherwise. However, in asian countries, vinegar base drinks have a decent place in the soft drink market. In Seoul you can get a lot of drinks which are vinegar based. They are tasty but not as much a pickle juice. A great hotdog and and ice cold pickle juice in the summer is hard to beat.

[corneygirl]

Is it possible that this is what you had?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombucha

They sell it at the grocery store here, and it comes in various fruit flavors. The fermentation gives it a distinct vinegar quality. Even if it isn't the exact same it might satisfy the yen...

[soupkitten]

drinking a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily, straight or diluted in water, is an old-timey country tonic/cure all. a century ago it was really common.

[alkapal]

a good friend's husband has a medical doctor's orders that he must drink -- first thing a.m. -- a glass of water with the fresh juice of one lemon.

it's also refreshing in the summer! i wonder how it stacks up against emergen-c for vitamin c?

i've heard the body's acid balance is important. drinking vinegar makes sense!

(does anyone else slurp -- at home, of course -- the leftover vinaigrette?).

[shaogo]

Here I thought I'd seen it all and done most of it. This is the first I've heard of "drinking vinegar," and I'm fascinated.

A tangent: My grandfather made a drink in summer that he called "switchel." It was grape jelly, cider vinegar and water. I never liked it much -- but my mom did.

[alkapal]

shaogo, you've gotta tell us about the name "switchel."

[beanandpotato]

We ate there a few weeks ago as well, I tried the honey drinking vinegar and asked the waiter how it was made, he was unsure but said that it did contain apple cider vinegar and that there was a process to make it that involved blending it with ??? and fermenting it. I thought it to be tart and delicious and thirst-quenching. PS the Khao soi kai was killer!

[soopergirl]

I guess drinking vinegars are also called shrubs. Here is a recipe from NYT. I am going to try some for holiday gifts.
http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2008/1...

[J.Dish]

Yeah, soopergirl is right. Shrub is the word for bubbly water and vinegar.

Linda Ziedrich references shrubs in "Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves".

You can infuse your own vinegar. Berry vinegars are easiest, I think. Haven't made blueberry vinegar, but maybe I will. Read about it in the Silver Palate Cookbook (old school!).

[tatamagouche]

I drink vinegar straight often, whether or not they're classified as "drinking." Glad to know I'm not alone.

[kubasd]

my boyfriend drinks straight balsamic vinegar, as well as drinking the rest of the balsamic vinaigrette when he's done eating his salad. I had been thinking how weird that was, but apparently it's not?

[kimitage]

I was just listening to a food show (Michael Collimeco (sp?) on WOR radio (NYC) and he had on an interesting gentleman who hosts the website www.epicurepantry.com. They carry a few drinking vinegars and he explained that it's quite common in European countries to drink flavored vinegars after meals to aid in digestion. I have been drinking 1tbl of apple cider vinegar with 1/8 teas of baking soda weekday mornings since reading about this "old wives tale" in various blogs. Some say it aids in weight loss, others tout it's health benefits by correcting our body's ph levels. I've also read about vinegar and baking soda's benefit as antioxidants with regard to cancer and other ailments. Who knows...according to my doctor...it can't hurt! I am going to order the vinegar from the website I mentioned and check it out!

[alkapal]

vinegar and baking soda clean my pipes -- i mean, literally, clean my kitchen pipes. i pour baking soda in the drain, then pour in vinegar, and watch the foaming bubbling cleansing action begin!

i've drunk the vinegar dressing from a lebanese fattoush salad, does that count? it was delicious!

these fruit vinegars do sound refreshing, like drinking water acidulated with lemon or lime juice.

[ozhead]

In Vienna there is a vinegar distillery, Gegenbauer, that makes a huge variety of vinegars, including drinking vinegars. You can order online, though the prices are in Euros. Here's the link to the "products" page of their website (in English): http://www.gegenbauer.at/englisch/pro...

[soopergirl]

Check Fubon on 82nd! I have found all sorts of flavors there!
A great cocktail is 1 part gin, 1 part apple vinegar, 2 parts tonic and a slice of lemon.
So refreshing!

[orangewasabi]

can you tell more about what a drinking vinegar is?
I have thrown a dash of red wine vinegar into a pitcher or water or had ACV with honey as a drink but have never heard of the intriguing 'drinking vinegar'

[chazzerking]

drinking vineegars are fruit flavored vinegars fromasia. They are meant to be drunk mixed with water, seltzer or soda. most are mixed about 1part to 4 parts water ofr seltzer. they are very refreshing and are claimed to be very good for you.

[liu]

Your explanation is good, and consistent with my understanding of what these drinks are.

As you point out, chasserking, they are "very refreshing;" they are also a bit acidic, so I have been advised to rinse my teeth with water after enjoying.

[TampaAurora]

Man, I love this place. What would you recommend for someone who now wants to go out and try this.

[BigLizard]

I found some Pinapple vinegar at Fubon to try. 1:4 ratio was way to strong for me but 1:10 was nice. I chose the pineapple because the ingredients were "Taiwan Pineapple" and nothing else. The only apple on the shelf listed "water, vinegar, artificial apple flavor." The artificial apple scared me off but maybe it would have been more dilute to begin with.

I then added 3 parts gin and found it to be drinkable but I'm not adding it to my normal repertoire.

[soopergirl]

Yeah, i didn't like the pineapple vinegar either. I tried it all sorts of ways, and in the end just added it to salad dressings and a marinade.

I want to try the honey flavored next.

[pepper_mil]

Field report from China, drinking vinegars are really common here and if you go to a business lunch at a higher end restaurant will often be served as a beverage. I have never seen them diluted though; they come in bottles or cartons to drink straight. I once purchased apple vinegar, thinking I could make a salad dressing, and was really confused at how weak it was...

[fudisgud]

i second the korean market rec - i actually saw some juices that were the prepared vinegar drink in the juice section. if you don't have a korean market nearby then you can try hmart.com - the site pops up in korean first, so be sure to hit the english tab and then go to the condiments tab on the left where you can find vinegars. the brand chung jung won has a couple of drinking vinegars that you could try. hope it helps!

[liu]

Hello, chazzerking!

I am in Southern California, and I see that you are not. However, perhaps you have access to a Korean market.

Over the past few months, I have been enjoying a black raspberry vinegar that I purchased at a Korean market in Los Angeles Koreatown. I was instructed to add a few ounces to a glass or bottle of water for proper consumption: ratio of 1 raspberry vinegar to 4 water. It is delicious!

Most of the bottle's label is in Korean, but it is a 900ml bottle and it is a product of Korea. The distributor is Jin Han International, Inc., DBA Pacific Foods Company (5608 Sheila Street in Commerce, CA 90040). Since there are drawings of other fruits on the bottle -- followed by very specific drinking instructions with pictures -- I assume that this same company makes many fruit vinegars.

Perhaps this information will be helpful. When this bottle is gone, I will purchase another...it is that good!