Since the likes of A listers including Katy Perry, Victoria Beckham, Orlando Bloom and Megan Fox confessed to a daily dose of apple cider vinegar – interest in drinking vinegars has rocketed. Driven largely by their associated health benefits: glowing, dewy skin, better gut health, or improved metabolism – the popularity of drinking vinegars is also increasingly down to flavour.
Peoples’ palates are being refined away from sugar and they are waking up to the fact that the acidity in drinking vinegars actually lifts and enhances other flavours. This makes them surprisingly flexible; they’re great in simple seltzers, shaken into cocktails, poured over desserts, made into dressings or just added to water for a refreshing drink. As ways of broadening their usage are discovered and shared by chefs and mixologists, they are becoming increasingly popular at home.
The Japanese have sipped fruit or honey infused vinegars for centuries both after and between meals, not only for nose-tingling refreshment, but also to balance the pH levels in the stomach, relieve stress and, in some cases, aid in weight loss (some studies have shown that drinking vinegar while eating enhances how ‘full’ a person feels).
It’s time to revolutionise your lifestyle with a tasty, healthy boost from genuine Japanese Drinking Vinegars!
The Wasabi Company, the only grower of fresh wasabi in the UK with farms in Dorset and Hampshire, is one of the largest stockists of premium artisanal Japanese ingredients and products and boasts an enviable range of drinking vinegars with a flavour to suit everyone.
They include:
Honey Vinegar with Sakura Cherry Blossom – 150ml £12.50
Organically grown rice from Akita prefecture creates a pure, mellow and rich base vinegar. Blended with Japanese honey and infused with hand-picked cherry blossoms, this vinegar has a delicious balance of acidity with sweetness, and a fragrant aroma with a delicate pink colour. Cherry blossoms have a wonderful floral scent and a slight bitterness making this complex vinegar perfect for desserts. Pour on top of ice cream or add a splash into your yoghurt and transform your daily dishes into something memorable. For something more savoury, add to fish dishes or salad dressings or for a wonderfully refreshing summer drink simply pour over ice and dilute with sparkling water.
Honey Vinegar with Edible Rose – 150ml £10.00
A blend of 100% domestic Japanese honey and rose petals from Okuizumo in Shimane Prefecture. This vinegar has a delicate and elegant sweetness with a beautiful, deep red colour and the delicate aroma of roses. Using a process called ‘static fermentation’ Sennari brewery carefully monitors the vinegar as it ferments and ages. The power of acetic acid bacteria, that naturally exist in the brewery, allows for a mellow and rich vinegar. When combined with honey, it has a mild acidity, which is perfect to add to dressings and salads for a light, refreshing taste. Drizzling onto ice cream or yoghurt, enhances the sweetness without overpowering with acidity. A fantastic balance of sweetness and sourness, dilute with water and enjoy as a perfect substitute for alcohol.
Kurozu Vermont, Honey Black Vinegar 300ml (£15) or 700ml (£31)
Korozu Vermont has just a hint of plum and the rich sweetness of raw honey. Poured over ice and added to sparkling or still water it makes for a deliciously refreshing drink, while mixed into cocktails or added to sauces for ice cream, yoghurt, or cheesecake, it takes everything to the next level.
3 Year Aged Black Rice Vinegar 500ml £45
Crafted, fermented and aged in Fukuyama town in Kagoshima prefecture, the birthplace of black vinegar, artisans have perfected their craft using a 200-year-old traditional process, creating this highly sought after vinegar. Aged for 3 years, this vinegar maintains a powerful acidic punch. Perfect for salad dressings this will add a beautiful acidity and elegance to your vegetables. Alternatively, lightly poured over some fresh fruits it will enhance their sweetness, while mixed with still or sparkling water, this makes a deliciously refreshing drink. What could look more stylish on the table than the authentic ceramic bottle too?
Yuzu Drinking Vinegar 270ml £8.90
Kamikatsu Town in Tokushima prefecture is home to some of the finest yuzu in Japan. The organic yuzu fruit grown here has a wonderful aroma and acidity that is not too overpowering and when mixed with apple cider vinegar, they balance each other perfectly, creating a harmony of acidity and sweetness paired with the citric and floral scent of yuzu. Chefs use a splash of yuzu vinegar in sauces for fish to add acidity and elegance but it’s also perfect lightly poured over fresh fruit to enhance their sweetness. Mixed with still water or sparkling water, this makes a deliciously refreshing drink while bartenders add this vinegar to their cocktails for a wonderful citric punch.
Visit www.thewasabicompany.co.uk to find out about these and the other drinking vinegars in their range.
