Cheers!

By Joell Folger

Celebration season is here. The lights, the food, the festivities, the sweets, the drinks so much to take in. Recently, during a Christmas stroll, in a Hallmark movie of a town, on Cape
Cod, I was able to enjoy it all.

The sweetest part was catching up with friends and watching the kids run amuk all over the decorated town green. The overwhelming feeling of peaceful holidays of days gone by was palpable in the air.

Making/keeping spirits bright was boosted with samples of warm cider and whiskey, hot cocoa and one surprising mocktail. In the kitchen store, LeRoux Kitchen, were samples of sparkling balsamic vinegar. The flavor of the evening was a white balsamic, Summer Peach. It was unexpected, crisp- sweet- tart -bubbly, and WOW!

While the idea of sipping vinegar is not new, many people enjoy ACV shots and my mother in-law is known to sip balsamic vinegar after a meal. What made this new to me was the flavored balsamic with the fun of sparkling water. The way the tart vinegar bounced around your mouth, opening up the taste buds for a flavor ride that did not quite end when the drink did. In the aftertaste, I got a flavor note of crisp apple leaning towards a Granny Smith. We quickly made our way to the display island of vinegars, which is conveniently located on the other side of the flavored olive oils. (That is a story for another day … stay tuned.) The flavor assortment covered an array of flavors, except maybe spicy. I’ll have to go back to verify, happily, that is.

The cucumber one was fantastic. We agreed that this would be perfect at the beach on a hot & sunny afternoon. The lemon flavor was not as prevalent as the cucumber. The blueberry was like drinking a fresh blueberry. The cranberry pear was delicious while on the sweet side. And then there was the Pomegranate. Starry eyes here over pomegranates. I can remember picking out the seeds on my neighbors lawn one warm fall day afterschool. They were mysterious and exotic to me then, and probably still to this day.

Thinking about the holidays, I knew bringing a flavored vinegar to Christmas dinner was a must do. Now the hard part, what flavor? Keeping seasonal fruits in mind, the cranberry pear was a solid contender, but it was too sweet. Knowing my family and this season, no surprise, the pomegranate is the winner. I could not wait to get home to have a glass of sparkling balsamic vinegar!

With my excitement bubbling over, I even took out our wedding flutes and gave them a quick chill in the freezer. It was time to open the vinegar and mix this drink! The fruity, tangy aroma jumped out of the bottle. I poured some into a clear glass to take a look at the color and legs. It was only when I measured it for the drinks in a metal tablespoon that a deep red sheen came through. The vinegar is as beautiful as it is tasty. I mixed about a tablespoon of vinegar to approximately 4oz of sparkling water - my flutes were too small for 6oz. John enjoyed his over ice, so I adjusted for that. The portions were delicious for us. The best part, you can adjust to fit your preferences.

I did put a lot of thought into the tasting experience, not wanting to miss a single thing. The flavors lingered after finishing the drink, sometimes it was a sour note then a fruity one would develop. So interesting and not disappointing. This would be fabulous before or with a dessert course of dinner.

Back to the night of the tasting, the host even recommended adding the flavored vinegar to Prosecco. Trust me, I do not need any more temptation or reason to drink Prosecco. During pomegranate season, you betcha, we add the seeds to our glasses of Prosecco. This year it’s all going to get mixed together. Who knows, I might even make some cranberry/pomegranate ice cubes.

The sparkling vinegar mocktail is only just getting started in my beverage library. It is a fill- in for an alcoholic drink, (we see you around that corner Dry January) as well as a refreshing and life-guard approved beach drink. The options are endless and exciting enough for a daily drink, maybe even a revamp of tea time.

Cheers!

 

 

 

Scroll to top