Traditional balsamic vinegar may be the crème du la crème du balsamic vinegar, but luckily for all the vinegar collectors out there who love trying different types of these celebrated liquids, there are quite a few more to fancy one’s pantry.
It’s not that the following vinegar are not as common or popular as the other types already discussed in the previous posts. It’s just that these vinegars are usually pricier and, well, if you are not a vinegar-lover but more the likes of someone who goes easy on the tangy, you’re not going to pay a ridiculous amount of money for them.
The good side, however, is that many of these specialty vinegar have a more delicate flavor compared to the common vinegar. And another plus – they usually come in pretty bottles.
Champagne vinegar is made from champagne as the name suggests. People often make their own champagne vinegar at home, usually after celebrations when they have all this flat leftover champagne and prefer to prepare it into something else rather than pouring it down the drain.
This vinegar, although a wine vinegar by-product, has a distinctive taste and is lighter and fresher. Champagne vinegar is good for making pasta salads and vinaigrette and to add to vegetable salads.
Malt vinegar is often associated with fish and chips, the English dish now very popular among Americans too. It is made from grains, although it’s not incorrect to say it’s made from beer just like wine vinegar is made from wine.
Producers brew the grains, specifically barley into beer and let the drink ferment until it becomes vinegar. Malt vinegar has a mellow or softer flavor and is perfect to sprinkle over salads along with herbs-infused olive oil.
Rice vinegar is thousands of years old and is produced in countries such as China and Japan from rice wine or sake both on a larger scale, for commercial purposes and in households for personal use.
Depending on the rice used in the production process, the vinegar can be red, black or white, although white is more commonly found in grocery stores. Rice vinegar is sweeter than wine vinegar and is often used as medicine in addition to cooking. It accompanies stir-fry meals very well but is also good as salad dressing.
Sherry vinegar or Vinagre de Jerez in Spanish is made from sherry, and it is gourmet vinegar that comes from Spain. This is one of the most appreciated vinegar, and if you had to choose one vinegar to try, this should be it, second only to traditional balsamic vinegar, which is though so much more expensive.
The vinegar has aromatic compounds found in none of the other types of vinegar, and it differentiates from all the wine vinegar in that it’s suitable both to dress salads and to cook with.
Coconut vinegar is becoming extremely popular now that people are become more aware of the amazing health benefits coconuts provide. This vinegar can be made from coconut water or from coconut sap.
Coconut vinegar is a staple kitchen ingredient in the Philippines where it originates, but it is also used a lot in other Asian countries. The taste is pungent and the flavor musty, with a lot of nutrients added. Coconut vinegar is rich in minerals and contains amino acids. Unlike other vinegar, this one is inexpensive.