Most of us have heard of that home remedy advice about drinking a spoonful of vinegar to help us lose weight, or reduce cholesterol, lower our blood sugar, or manage our diabetes.
How about sipping vinegar?
Before you squirm imagining the sour taste of vinegar being sipped as you would brandy or whisky, here are some things you should know about sipping vinegar.
Sipping Vinegar Trivia
- We know vinegar as a condiment and cooking ingredient, not something to drink. But vinegar actually has a long history as a tonic used to cure many different illnesses; it is not uncommon for people back then to drink vinegar.
- The word vinegar comes from the French “vin aigre” which means sour wine. Food historians believe that vinegar was possibly discovered when wine turned sour.
- November 1 is National Vinegar Day.
Sipping Vinegar Buying Guide
Products like apple cider vinegar are very common. Finding sipping vinegar may not be as easy because there’s not a lot of companies that make and sell this kind of health drink. If you can’t find a store near you selling sipping vinegar, you can also order online. There are many sellers online – US-based or sellers from outside the US – willing to ship sipping vinegar to anywhere in Texas.
If you want to buy sipping vinegar, include in your search “drinking vinegar” and “sipping tonic” because some companies call their product sipping tonic or drinking vinegar, but these are also the same as sipping vinegar. You can also search “shrub” because this is how sipping vinegar is called in some places.
If this is the first time you are drinking sipping vinegar, try to buy a small bottle first and see for yourself if you like it.
Before going to the checkout counter, check the bottle and packaging for any sign of damage or tampering or any indication that the quality and safety of the product have been compromised. If you find anything that you think is a cause for concern, bring this up to the store manager to make sure the item is properly checked, and if necessary, removed from display if it is unfit for commercial sale.
Sipping Vinegar Production & Farming in Texas
Tough Mother is a Texas company that makes steept tonic. One of the products of this company headquartered in Austin is Apple Cider Vinegar Steept Sipping Tonic (pomegranate and blueberry flavor). Breaking Brew Meadery in Dallas also makes and sells sipping vinegar.
Walmart in Ballinger, Texas has also listed sipping vinegar for sale. Liber and Co. is another company based in Austin, Texas. One of the products of Liber & Co. is Texas Grapefruit Shrub (shrub is another term for sipping vinegar). This product is made using champagne vinegar, Rio Red Texas grapefruit, and cane sugar.
Pesticides, Additives, and Chemicals:
Most of the products promise that their sipping vinegar does not contain artificial ingredients. However, an article discussing sipping vinegar pointed out that there are companies that add artificial ingredients like sulfates and GMO foods.
Geography
Sipping vinegar dates back to ancient Greeks and Romans. Sipping vinegar is enjoyed mostly by those who are poor and can’t afford wine.
Sipping vinegar also became part of the English beverage culture. English sailors treat scurvy using sipping vinegar. This is more commonly known in England as shrubs.
In the US, sipping vinegar is common in the Midwest, New England, and the South. This is a common drink among farmworkers who rely on sipping vinegar to keep them hydrated and healthy, considering the demands of working the farm every day.
Packaging:
Sipping vinegar is commonly sold in glass bottles. Bottle size and shape vary, as well as the approach to packaging design. You’ll find sipping vinegar packaging to include labels that contain important consumer information including company name, place where it is made, ingredients, nutritional information, expiration or best before date, storage, etc.
Enjoying Sipping Vinegar
You can drink sipping vinegar as a hot or cold beverage. The taste of sipping vinegar is described as tart and tangy. If you expect it to taste like the vinegar in your pantry, you will find the real taste of sipping different as surprisingly different because of the ingredients that are mixed with vinegar, like herbs and spices, botanicals, fruits and fruit flavors, and sugar.
You can use sipping vinegar when making cocktails. You can also use it as salad dressing, ice cream topper, or as an ingredient in cake mix.
Sipping vinegar is good for people who need to stabilize their blood sugar. It is also great for keeping a healthy gut. If sipping vinegar is part of your regular diet, you are keeping yourself from certain illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.
Storage:
It is best to keep your sipping vinegar refrigerated and away from direct sunlight, although most store-bought sipping vinegar bottles are shelf-stable and do not require refrigeration.
Make peach sipping vinegar at home
If you enjoy making drinks at home, you’ll find a lot of use for this healthy tonic. If you are drinking hot green tea, you can use this to add flavor. If you have ginger beer on ice, you can give it a twist of peach flavor by adding this tonic.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound peaches, sliced
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Method
Step 1. Put the peaches in a glass bowl and crush it using a fork to bring out the juice.
Step 2. Put the sugar in the bowl of crushed peaches and mix.
Step 3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Step 4. Add the vinegar and refrigerate. Remember that the longer you store it, the more fruity the taste.
Step 5. Strain using a fine sieve. Make sure to press anything that is still solid to extract the juice.
Step 6. Transfer the juice to a clean bottle with a lid.
Step 7. Use this to flavor drinks. Remember that this is concentrated, so make sure to dilute with water, tea, ginger beer, or any beverage you want to mix this with.
