When fermented, homemade loses its initial sharpness, picks up spicy aromas, and turns into a tasty dressing for dishes. And making it yourself isn’t hard — just steep regular vinegar with herbs, spices, berries, or fruit, since . For the cold infusion method, cover the dry ingredients with store-bought 6% table or wine vinegar and let them steep in a dark place for three weeks. With the hot method, which speeds fermentation and locks in stronger flavor and aroma, bring 9% vinegar to a boil in an enamel saucepan, pour it immediately over the prepared spices, seal the bottle tightly, and place it in a dark spot for two weeks.
Ingredients: 1 L 6% table vinegar – 12 allspice berries, 8 black peppercorns, 10 whole cloves, 3 bay leaves, 3 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 1 tbsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp coriander, 5 sprigs thyme.
For different kinds of infused vinegar you can use blends like: with allspice and juniper berries; dill with hot pepper; lemon zest with dried ; raisins with citrus zest (lemon or orange). The most popular homemade options are dill, garlic, and citrus.
Load all the spices into a one-liter bottle with a wide base, pour in table vinegar, and place the bottle in a cool spot. After three weeks, strain the infusion and remove the spices. Top the bottle back up to full with store-bought vinegar and seal it tightly. Store cold-infused spiced vinegar in the refrigerator.
Flavor hacks for vinegar
Raspberry-infused vinegar works well in poultry and liver dishes, while vinegar infused with cilantro (coriander) suits shrimp dishes. A vinegar steeped with basil, parsley, and tarragon pairs nicely with any vegetable salad, and mint vinegar complements a Greek salad. To reduce excess acidity, add a teaspoon of honey or sugar to the vinegar.
