You may have noticed beverages using drinking vinegars (aka shrubs) popping up in bars and restaurants all over the place. It seems bartenders and chefs have recently become smitten with these vibrant mixers, which date back to colonial times. Andy Ricker, chef and owner of acclaimed Thai restaurant Pok Pok (named one of Bon Appetit's Top 20 Most Important Restaurants in America with locations in Portland and New York) is one of them. He fell in love with drinking vinegars when he discovered them at his local Asian market, introducing them to his six restaurants.
Called Som in Southeast Asian cuisine, drinking vinegars are traditionally made by macerating fruit with vinegar and sugar, resulting in a balanced concentrate that is tart yet bursting with a juicy fruitiness. Only one ounce turns a simple glass of sparkling water into a refreshing soft drink that you'll want to drink all the live long day. They also make a great addition for a unique cocktail - just substitute Som for a sour element like lemon or lime.
The Honey Drinking Vinegar, sweetened with wildflower honey (not sugar), is blooming with warm floral aromas and notes of chamomile and caramel.
The vinegar is tamed by the honey, creating a milder acidity, great for those new to drinking vinegars. To experience a sip of Pok Pok, dilute one part Som with 4 parts bubbly water for a refreshing non-alcoholic apperif or digestif. Or try an updated whiskey sour made with bourbon, drinking vinegar, a splash of club soda and twist of lemon.
Looking for a bolder punch? Try the Tamarind Drinking Vinegar. Tamarind is a fruit, used a lot in Latin American and Indian cuisines, known for its sweet and sour taste, which is described as a blend of lemons, apricots and dates. The fruit gives the drink spicy notes of cinnamon and all-spice while also adding another dimension of sourness, which is balanced by the the addition of cane sugar. Serve Tamarind Som beverages with spicy Latin and Indian dishes like grilled flank steak with chimichurri or Madras vegetable curry. All your friends will be clamoring to get SOM.
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