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?

[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!

[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!

[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...

[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!

[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...

[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.

[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?

[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...

[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!

[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."

[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?).

[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...

[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.

[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.