With the popularity of cooking shows, cooks are looking for more exotic ingredients. One such item is flavored vinegar. Flavored vinegar is really easy to make as long as you follow the recipe carefully to ensure a safe product.
Glass jars or bottles are best for home flavored vinegar. Be sure to check for cracks or nicks in the bottle. Choose bottles that can be easily sealed with a cork or a screw top. Wash the jars thoroughly with hot soapy water. Next, sterilize the bottles by boiling for 10 minutes. More complete directions are available from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Choose flavoring herbs that you can pick just before you want to make the vinegar. Choose sprigs that have not yet blossomed for the best flavor. Pick them early in the day—just after the morning dew has dried. Use only the best, freshest looking leaves. Discard stems, browned, or blemished leaves. Allow 3-4 sprigs per pint (2 cups) of vinegar. Wash and dry the herbs before dipping them in a sanitizing solution. Use 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of household bleach to make the sanitizing solution. Rinse the herbs after dipping and blot dry again. You can also use dried herbs to make flavored vinegar. If you want to use dry herbs, use 3 tablespoons per pint of vinegar.
Choose white vinegar if you want to use very mild tasting herbs. Apple cider vinegar is less harsh tasting but has an amber color that may not be appealing. You can also choose champagne vinegar for mild flavored herbs but it will be a more expensive choice. Red wine vinegar will work best with strong flavored herbs like rosemary but would overpower the flavor of a delicate herb.
Prepare to flavor your vinegar by placing the herbs in the sterilized jars. Avoid overfilling the jar; use only 3-4 sprigs or 3 tablespoons of herbs per every 2 cups of vinegar. If the herb you choose has large, broad leaves, you may want to coarsely chop them or bruise the leaves. Heat the vinegar to just below the boiling point. Then pour over the flavoring herbs. Fill the jars to within 1/4 of an inch from the top. Screw on the lids and let the jars cool, undisturbed. Store them in a cool, dark place for at least 3-4 weeks to allow flavor to develop.
You will want to check the flavor after a month. Test your vinegar by putting a few drops on a slice of white bread. If the flavor has developed enough for you, strain the vinegar, following directions listed below. If the flavor seems too strong, dilute your flavored vinegar with more of the base vinegar you used previously.
You can strain the vinegar with cheesecloth or a damp coffee filter. You may want to strain the vinegar several times to remove any cloudiness.
