Fat washing vinegar

[Jarrett Clay]

I know that you can fat wash alcohol in order to obtain a different mouth fuel and texture while also imparting subtle flavors. I am currently experimenting with making drinking vinegars and oxymels. Has anyone heard of fat washing being done with vinegars?

 

[Ephemerella]

Oh for the love of kittens... really? You're experimenting with drinking vinegars?!? I'm already a vinegar junky and *basically* drink it when I douse my salad with balsamic, or my french fries are sopping with malted, or my morning corned beef hash is swimming in a puddle of Worcestershire (which, honestly, is malty vinegar with an extra layer of umami and nummy nummy tamarind).

I put pickle juice in my martinis, white vinegar in my water for poaching eggs, and baste all my simmered pork in cider vinegar. When I finish a jar of pickled beets (which is more time in a year than one might surmise because I flipping love beets), the best part is drinking the juice.

I drink cider vinegar with the "mother" in the morning for a pick-me-up, all of my Asian cuisines have rice wine vinegar, and my absolute favorite "secret" ingredient in nearly everything I make is a shake of champagne vinegar. I can't eat bisque without a shot of sherry vinegar. No empty jar of pickles in my house goes wasted... no, no, no, taking a swig of pickle jar juice is akin to reaching the cracker jack prize — a mouthful of the salty, dilly juice is almost the sole reason for embarking on the task. If you ask me, cucumbers exist solely to revel in the gloriousness of vinegar.

My most recent birthday, Mr. E asked what I wanted for a cake and I said "vinegar pie" (seriously, you should have seen his face... he was like 'uh, I don't think I've ever seen that at Tops...") I have about a dozen shelves in my kitchen, and two are dedicated to my vinegar collection. If I had a child, their name would be Vinegarette. If I had a tattoo, it would be the Lea & Perrins logo. If I were on death row, my last meal on planet earth would include frites with malt vinegar (and pickled beets, I freeking love them! and artichokes... yes, I'm one of those)

If I could dip Ryan Reynolds in cider vinegar, I think I'd have a heart attack on contact — but I'd die with a smile.

I've edited this post so many times because I can't stop faffing about the multitude of ways I love vinegar. I literally put down my glass of wine to wax poetically for my love of everything vinegary.

Puuuuulllllllleeeeeezzzzeeeee, for the love of all things holy and vinegar loving, please please please share your adventures in fat washing vinegars, because if I could drink vinegar like I drink wine... I might just have a new hobby (and probably massive gall stones).

 

[dmcgee5034]

@Ephemerella - I am literally dying reading your post. But I’m still not sure - do you like vinegar? LMAO!
And the Ryan Reynolds line - hysterical! Thank you for tonight’s most entertaining moments, dear friend.

 

[Ephemerella]

Oh, balsamic from the succulent rolling hills of Modena.... oh succulent Ryan rolling around... I dedicate this haiku to you:

Humor like fine wine,
Vinegar tang, just as divine,
Ryan, forever mine.

 

[Jarrett Clay]

Goodness! I think I triggered something. Ha! I just started down the vinegar road along with several other "alchemical" hobbies. At the moment, I have a sour beer vinegar aging with oak as well as a Dragon's Milk Stout Vinegar brewing.

The stout was already aged in bourbon barrels so I don't think I will age it with any wood when it's finished turning.

For the sour beer vinegar, I am thinking of infusing tallow with yarrow and doing a fat wash with that. I am curious how the anise/tarragon flavor of the yarrow will com through from the fat washing. I'll probably then sweeten with honey to taste.

@Ephemerella it sounds like you are the resident vinegar scholar so if you have any suggestions let me know!

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Always love learning new things, so had to look up fat washing as I didn't know what it was. I see it's a common thing to fat wash spirits, particularly whiskey. The closest I've ever come to making vinegar is kombucha, which I drink occasionally, but mostly just cut up the excess scobies (scobys ?) to give to the chickens for the probiotics.

Hope you keep us posted on what you discover and learn.

 

[Jarrett Clay]

Always love learning new things, so had to look up fat washing as I didn't know what it was. I see it's a common thing to fat wash spirits, particularly whiskey. The closest I've ever come to making vinegar is kombucha, which I drink occasionally, but mostly just cut up the excess scobies (scobys ?) to give to the chickens for the probiotics.

Hope you keep us posted on what you discover and learn.

I will for sure! I used to brew alcohol but I have liver issues so I can no longer drink it. However, I always enjoyed the process. I still brew alcohol but only with the purpose of turning it into vinegar.

I'm developing a line of medicinal oxymels and drinking vinegars or switchels. The sour beer vinegar I brewed was surprisingly smooth. Usually when you think of vinegar it puts your teeth on edge, but not this one. I am really curious to see how all this tastes!

 

[Ephemerella]

So, I've been working very long hours at my day job and am working late nights and having weird dreams as I'm managing daytime-adulting-anxiety... but I seriously had a crazy dream last night: I was sitting in a cocktail lounge with a smashing drink in my hand and just adoring it, and looking ever so spectacular in a 40's Hollywood glam sort of way. Mr. E looking positively 007 asked if he could buy me another drink and asked what it was. I said it was Balsamic.

Sooooooooooo. Where exactly are we with fat-washing and drinkable vinegars?? inquiring minds and all that.

 

[Jarrett Clay]

So, I've been working very long hours at my day job and am working late nights and having weird dreams as I'm managing daytime-adulting-anxiety... but I seriously had a crazy dream last night: I was sitting in a cocktail lounge with a smashing drink in my hand and just adoring it, and looking ever so spectacular in a 40's Hollywood glam sort of way. Mr. E looking positively 007 asked if he could buy me another drink and asked what it was. I said it was Balsamic.

Sooooooooooo. Where exactly are we with fat-washing and drinkable vinegars?? inquiring minds and all that.

Hahahaha! My sour beer is almost done aging. Probably another a couple of weeks. It is aging with some oak wood right now. I WAS going to do yarrow enfleurage and use that as a fat wash. However, I came across some moss the other day while I was looking for pine resin to wild harvest, and it smelled spectacular. I am thinking about using that and maybe some mushroom.

Waxing poetic I thought I would call this concotion, "The Lament of the Forest."

The Lament of the Forest Oxymel
-Sour Beer-Vinegar Aged with Oak Wood for One Month
-Remove Sour-Beer Vinegar from Oak Wood and Age with Myrhh Resin for One Month
-Enfleurage Moss and Mushroom in Tallow with a little beeswax for 96 Hours
-Fat Wash the Sour-Beer Vinegar
-Sweeten with Honey (or maybe maple syrup would be most appropriate?)

This is all completely an experiment as I have never done an oxymel before. However, I have really been getting into tree resins and earth, woodsy scents for awhile.

Myrrh was offered to the Lord and Savior on the cross in sour wine as an anesthetic to help with the pain. Moss is thought to have antibacterial properties as are some mushrooms and oak.

I am keeping better notes than above so when I am finished I will put those in the thread.

 

[Jarrett Clay]

Here is a small update on this. It has obviously been longer than a month since I started aging the vinegar with oak lol. Life happened and time got a way from me so today I will put the myrrh resin in the vinegar and begin that infusion process. Stay tuned!