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If you’re looking for a drinking vinegar recipe, you’ve found it! Two versions: Thai Basil Drinking Vinegar and Marion Berry Drinking Vinegar.

Curiosity won. Drinking vinegar? It was on the menu at one of our favorite local restaurants. Being a vinegar fan – balsamic mostly – I admit that it intrigued me from the start. But, drinking. vinegar??

Marion Berry Drinking Vinegar
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Then I noticed who made it, Pok Pok. You may have heard of this Thai restaurant in Portland, Oregon (or the one in New York City)? In Portland, it’s a quirky cool place with incredible food. Quirky in the sense that the restaurant’s building seems like a remodeler gone mad. Imagine a maze of seemingly unrelated add-ons that all mysteriously connect. And cool in the sense that they published an enormously popular cookbook last year; you may have read about it in Bon Appetit magazine?

So finally, I tried it – the Thai Basil flavor. Who knew? It turns out that vinegar + fruit/herb + sugar/honey + sparkling water = deeelicious! 

Do you like kombucha? If so, then I bet you’ll like this. And if you use Bragg Apple Cider vinegar, it has a mother – which sounds kind of frightening or like it should end in a curse, but just means that it has live enzymes. And if half of the health benefits they claim are true, it’s probably worth a sip or two.

Making drinking vinegar at home is ridiculously easy, but it’s a waiting game. It takes a full two weeks. First you fill jars with vinegar and fruit or herbs, then let it sit on the counter for one week, shaking it each day. So you get the bonus of a countertop science project.

Basil and Marion Berries In Vinegar

Once the week is up, you’ll add sugar or honey, shake it up, then wait another week, and strain. That’s it. Then you’ll serve it to unsuspecting friends, spouses, or children and giggle at their puckering faces. But it’s strangely refreshing, addictive even.

Drinking Vinegars

If you use honey, don’t be alarmed when it goes in as a big clump and looks as though it will never dissolve. It will. In less than a day, promise.

Cheers!

Homemade Drinking Vinegars – Basil and Marionberry

5 from 2 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Calories: 100
Servings: 24 servings
I made two flavors at once – one berry and one basil, and I highly recommend it. Then you can have either flavor alone or a mix of both. This recipe is adapted from imbibe magazine.

Ingredients  

  • 2 cups whole berries fresh or frozen

or

  • 5 ounces fresh basil Thai or regular
  • 2 cups vinegar I used Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 cup honey or natural cane sugar

Instructions 

  • Combine the berries or basil and vinegar in a lidded quart jar. Screw on the lid and shake. Let it sit for a week at room temperature, shaking at least once a day (or more if you feel like it).
  • After a week, strain out the fruit or basil with using a fine mesh strainer over a measuring pitcher. Pour vinegar back into jar and add honey or sugar; shake.
  • Refrigerate for another week, shaking once each day until the honey / sugar is fully dissolved.

Notes

To serve: Fill a glass with ice. Add 1 ounce drinking vinegar (or more to taste) and fill glass with sparkling water. Stir to combine and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 418IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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30 Comments

  1. Megan says:

    Would agave work as a substitute for sugar or honey?

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Yes, I think it would work just fine!

  2. Jen says:

    Hi! Thanks so much for these ideas. I have a juicer and wondered if I could use either juice or juice pulp to make sipping vinegar. Any thoughts?

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Jen! Because fruit juice is perishable, you’ll want to keep it refrigerated. You could make the drinking vinegar as it is in the recipe and then add it to taste to your juice. That said, I know that others have delved into making fruit vinegar at home – here’s an example. I hope that helps!

  3. Elizabeth says:

    5 stars
    Should I leave the jar cracked/open during room temperature week?

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi there, Elizabeth! I keep the jar sealed during the room temperature phase.

  4. Nancy says:

    Hi there, I’m glad I found your recipes, am going shopping for the ingredients tomorrow! I would like to make this as Christmas gifts and put in glass jars and ship out of state to my family members. Have you had any experience shipping this? Thanks for your time!

    1. Marissa says:

      Hi Nancy! Such a great idea for Christmas gifts, but I don’t know about mailing it. I’d talk with your local post office for advice, thinking of the “…liquids, perishables…” questions that you always have to answer when mailing packages.

  5. Erika Kronenberg says:

    5 stars
    Wow! I love this recipe. I made blackberry/raspberry and basil. So, so yummy. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Marissa says:

      Thanks so much, Erika! So glad you’re enjoying!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. Amy says:

      I canโ€™t wait to try this!!! Had strawberry basil at Sway in Austin TX and now Iโ€™m obsessed!!

      1. Marissa says:

        Hope you love it, Amy!

  6. Baketozen says:

    I accidentally added the honey on day one. Will it still work?

    1. Marissa says:

      Hi there – good question! My guess is that it will be fine.

  7. Jenn says:

    I tried this and all I can taste is the apple cider flavor, and not in a good way. I love sipping vinegars and just finished my last bottle from Pok Pok.
    Any ideas?

    1. Marissa says:

      Oh no – I’m sorry to hear that. I think that Pok Pok vinegars are a bit sweeter than the ones I make. It may be as simple as adding a little more sugar. Other than that, I would up the amount of what you’re infusing whether it’s herbs or fruit. Hope that helps…

  8. Mitzi says:

    I’ve eating at Pok Pok and also became infatuated with their drinking vinegars. Great article–thanks for writing it. I just made rhubarb vinegar and it’s tasty. Now on to blueberry, raspberry and basil!!

    1. Marissa says:

      Rhubarb vinegar sounds fantastic! And the rest, I like the way you think. ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Matt says:

    What do you think the shelf life of these syrups are? Do you store them in the fridge or can they stay out?

    1. Marissa says:

      Hi Matt – That’s a great question. My guess is that it’s similar to kombucha – so a couple of months. I recommend storing it in the fridge.

  10. lara dunston says:

    Looks so refreshing! I’ll have to try the basil one. Though we have many different basils here in Cambodia, so I’ll experiment with different ones. Lemon should prove zingy!

  11. Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says:

    I had it a couple of times with ginger, and really loved it. Then completely forgot about it. Weird, since I crave foods with vinegar! I’m so making this one with berries and basil Marissa, you bet I will become an addict!

    1. Marissa says:

      Yum! A ginger version is next on my list to try…

  12. Joanne says:

    This is so cool! It reminds me of shrubs, which are basically cocktails that have a splash of vinegar in them. Definitely want to try this!

    1. Marissa says:

      Exactly! I like these as a cocktail stand-in – interesting and special sans booze.

  13. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says:

    I absolutely love the sounds of this! I really like kombucha (although the first time I tried it I didn’t so much) but this sounds amazing! ๐Ÿ˜€

  14. Tess @ Tips on Healthy Living says:

    This looks delicious, and I can’t believe it’s vinegar. Usually, just the smell of that makes me gag. Is it strong in the drink?

    1. Marissa says:

      Honestly? Yes. If you don’t like vinegar, this may not be for you. ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. Giovanna says:

    Ciao! This recipe is really unusual, but I’m going to try it! Have you tried with red or white wine vinegar? Is it possible to use it or it is to acid?

    1. Marissa says:

      Ciao, Giovanna! You could use white vinegar, but you may want to add more sugar / honey. I’ve also read that coconut vinegar is often used.