You may have heard that drinking a spoonful of apple cider vinegar may aid digestion, reduce blood sugar, and support beneficial gut microbes. The specific benefits of drinking vinegar vary with each person’s body and diet, but there’s a growing body of research that shows the health value of consuming fermented foods. We ferment and brew 100% raw and unpasteurized drinking vinegars that are packed with beneficial probiotics, not just because we hope they’ll help us live forever, but because they taste delicious.
Any traditionally fermented vinegar can include probiotic benefits, and we recommend drinking any of ours to whet your whistle and settle your stomach. However in today’s lingo, the term “drinking vinegar” usually refers to a slightly sweetened vinegar blended with fruit, herbs, or spices. In the old days these brews were called shrubs, and they were a clever way to make use of fruit preserved with vinegar. Records of consuming shrubs for medicinal purposes date back to the 15th century.
Modern shrubs are often strongly flavored bases meant to be mixed with carbonated water for a low-sugar, tart-and-tingly alternative to soda. This is how we prepare most of our drinking vinegars at home. Combine 1 part of any of our drinking vinegars with 3 to 4 parts seltzer for a refreshing sparkling tonic.
Mass-produced vinegars—like the apple cider stuff you get at the grocery store—are made with whatever bottom-shelf produce manufacturers can find. The main value of that produce is the fermentable sugar within, with vivid flavor a distant afterthought. In other words, you get what you pay for.
At Lindera Farms, we source the best quality fruits, flowers, herbs, roots, and spices from local Southern growers. We also forage for commercially rare ingredients like magolia, spicebush, and paw paws to capture the unique flavors of our environment. When fermented in small batches with care, these foods yield dynamic ferments with beautiful complex flavors. Think of it like making wine with premium Pinot Noir grapes instead of grape juice from a juicebox.
Each of our drinking vinegars is a blend of several individual vinegars that we ferment separately to control their flavor, sweetness, and acidity. Then we add ingredients like fresh pressed lemongrass juice, raw turmeric, fig leaves to further enhance their character. The result is an elixir with all the balance and body of a well made cocktail, except it’s actually good for you.
We recommend you do! Try them in this simple Golden Agri-Doux, an easy barbecue sauce, and in a delicate vinaigrette. Drinking vinegars do well in any recipe that requires a mix of sweetness and acidity.
Now you’re talking. Our drinking vinegars are ideal cocktail mixers, balancing sweet and sour with volatile aromatics carried by the acetic acid in the vinegar. This Sangría Drinking Vinegar, made in collaboration with chef José Andrés, is specially designed to make an excellent sangria—with or without alcohol. If you’re abstaining from spirits, drinking vinegars offer a powerful base of flavors that’s hard to find in other non-alcoholic drinks.
Ready to start sipping? Explore our full line of drinking vinegars:
