This drink is summer in a glass! It calls for a lot of raspberries so make it at the height of summer when berries are cheapest. It’s served diluted but I also like to sip it ‘straight up’.
You can add things like ginger root or lemon grass or keep it simple. Once familiarised, you can experiment with other berries or even stone fruit. Either way, you are going to love this drink … and yes, you can use it in salad dressings and other places you might add fruit vinegar.
INGREDIENTS
3 heaping cups of raspberries, fresh or frozen
3 cups of vinegar* (5% acidity)
3/4 cup of sugar (adjust according to taste)
*I’ve only used white vinegar but some recipes call for apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar, even balsamic vinegar.)
DIRECTIONS
Put raspberries and vinegar in a sealed glass jar and let the mixture sit at room temperature for about four days. Berries are fragile so I don’t rinse them unless absolutely necessary. Feel free to give the mixture a stir but the berries will macerate into mush all by themselves.
Transfer berry and vinegar mixture to a non-reactive pan. Stir in your sugar and bring mixture to a low boil for about five minutes. Reduce the heat and allow mixture to simmer with the lid off for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Open a window as the heated vinegar is very pungent.
Test the sweetness of your mixture by taking a tablespoon of the cooled juice and then diluting it with water, still or sparkling. If you want it sweeter, now’s the time to add more sugar.
Strain the mixture by pouring the contents of the pan into a fine mesh sieve. Be sure to press out as much of the juice as possible. You can use cheese cloth here or not – depends on you and on your sieve. Funnel the resulting mixture into a bottle and refrigerate. The dilution of berry vinegar with water is usually around a four to one ratio but you’ll decide for yourself. I also recommend trying it straight like a port or sherry. Your berry vinegar will keep in the fridge for at least a month.