Making Garlic Vinegar

[llc45]

I bought some garlic vinegar at my local garlic festival this weekend. Wow - the stuff is so good. It says it is made with cider vinegar and brown sugar. I can't taste the brown sugar but I must say it is mellow and smooth - not at all harsh like I would expect from cider vinegar. It is also aged in oak barrels. We used on salad for Sunday dinner and my balsamic addicted daughter said she will never use balsamic again.

Googling gives me many how tos but not with the brown sugar or aging that I think gives this vinegar the smooth taste. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would love to start making this.

[Nicholas Ellan]

You can simply soak garlic in vinegar to get the basic product (I've seen restaurants serve vinegar with garlic cloves in it, with fries for example). However, the mellowness you are looking for is certainly from the oak aging. (This is the difference between expensive and cheap balsamic, as well... extensive barrel aging.) Unfortunately, if you don't have a barrel to fill and let sit for a few months, that won't work for you.

The vinegar you bought was probably also made from homemade cider, which amps up the quality even further. If you're interested in making vinegar from scratch, this site is a good start.

Edited October 6, 2009 by Nicholas Ellan (log)

[llc45]

Thanks for the reply Nicholas. Well, after having on our salads again tonight, I think I am going to have to learn how to make this because we love it and I don't think I can afford to keep buying it. I will definitely buy the oak barrel. However, I find the whole vinegar mother thing scary. I wonder if I could try adding garlic to cider vinegar and then aging in the barrel as an experiment. I could keep trying it to see when it got "mellow" enough. Just trying to figure out when to add the brown sugar, I guess at the end. The product I have has no discernable brown sugar taste so I think it is just there for balance.

[rooftop1000]

If you live anywhere near a place that has Winemaking supplies they may carry Oak pieces that are designed for using in plastic containers to simulate oak barrel aging for homemade wine. Corrados in Clifon NJ also has vinegar mothers...

tracey

[llc45]

I guess I finally have a reason to justify the long trip to Corrados. I have wanted to make a field trip for a long time.