Fruit, sugar, and vinegar come together into a concentrated syrup that can be diluted with sparkling water for a bright, not-too-sweet drink.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen marionberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Pome Marionberry Apple Cider Vinegar

Method

1. Place the marionberries and sugar in a bowl.
2. Crush the berries gently with a fork and stir until the fruit is thoroughly coated.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. The next day, stir in the Marionberry Pome.
5. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing gently on the fruit to extract the liquid.
6. Transfer the shrub to a clean bottle or jar and keep refrigerated.

To serve

1. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons shrub to a tall glass filled with ice.
2. Top with 6 to 8 ounces sparkling water and stir.
3. Taste and add more shrub if you like it sharper.

A small amount of good vinegar in cold sparkling water creates a dry, refreshing drink with far more character than flavored seltzer.

Makes one drink

Ingredients

• 8 to 12 ounces very cold sparkling water
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Pome Bittersweet Apple Cider Vinegar
• Ice
• Thin apple slice, optional

Method

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add 1 teaspoon Pome and pour in the sparkling water.
3. Stir gently and taste.
4. Add more Pome a little at a time until the balance is where you want it.
5. Garnish with a thin slice of apple if you like.

That is it. Vinegar is highly acidic, so always dilute it rather than drinking it straight.

The important rule first: always dilute

POME is bottled undiluted and is stronger than most commercial apple cider vinegar. Do not drink it straight.

The acidity that makes vinegar useful is the same acidity that makes it harsh at full strength. Undiluted vinegar of any brand can damage tooth enamel and irritate the throat. Diluted properly, that is not a concern.

A standard measure for drinking is one tablespoon in 8 to 12 ounces of water. If you are new to it, start with a teaspoon and work up. Rinse your mouth with plain water afterwards.

When to drink it

There is no settled best time, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing with more confidence than the evidence supports. What follows is what people actually report doing.

In the morning, before eating. A common habit. Something sour on an empty stomach does not suit everyone, so if it does not sit well, take it with food instead.

With meals. Easier on the stomach for most people, and it doubles as part of the meal rather than a separate ritual.

Not immediately before lying down. Acidic liquid and a horizontal position are a poor combination if you are prone to reflux. Leave an hour.

Making it taste better

Diluted vinegar is sour and a little bitter. Some people take to that immediately. If you do not, it improves with company.

• Honey. A teaspoon rounds off the sharp edge. A dark honey stands up to the Bittersweet particularly well.
• Warm water. Turns it into more of a tonic than a cold drink. Better in winter.
• Sparkling water. Over ice, with a squeeze of lemon, it becomes something close to a shrub.
• Ginger. Freshly grated, for warmth. It suits the deeper expressions.

In the kitchen

This is where the quality of the vinegar shows most plainly.

• Vinaigrette. One part acid to three parts oil. A tablespoon of POME, three tablespoons of good olive oil, a teaspoon of Dijon, salt and pepper. Make a jar of it and keep it.
• Marinades. The acidity tenderises and the apple character adds depth. Good with chicken, pork and lamb.
• Braises. A splash near the end lifts the whole pot.
• Quick pickles. Better than white vinegar with red onion, shallot and root vegetables.
• Pan sauces. Deglaze with it. The acid cuts through the fat.

Start with about half what a recipe asks for. This is stronger than the vinegar most recipes were written around.

The Barrel Aged, specifically

The Barrel Aged wants using differently. It is deeper and more concentrated, and it works best as a finishing ingredient rather than a cooking one, in the way you would reach for an aged balsamic.

• Over roasted vegetables, right before they go to the table.
• A few drops on an aged cheese board.
• Stirred into beans or lentils at the last moment.
• Over vanilla ice cream. We are serious. The oak and apple work with cream.

What not to do

Do not drink it straight. Worth repeating, because people still do.

Do not treat it as medicine. Vinegar is food. We make no claims about what it treats or prevents, and you should be sceptical of anyone who does.

Do not overdo it. More is not better. The risks of heavy use, enamel erosion and digestive irritation, are real and they scale with quantity. A tablespoon a day is a sensible ceiling for most people.

Do not use it undiluted in your mouth. As a rinse or a gargle at full strength it will do your enamel no favours at all.

If you are pregnant, immunocompromised or managing a medical condition, talk to your healthcare provider before making any vinegar a daily habit.

POME is raw, undiluted, and made in Forest Grove, Oregon. Always dilute before drinking. Available in 8 and 16 ounce bottles.

Bittersweet cider vinegar brings acidity and tannin alongside rosemary, garlic, and olive oil in a simple marinade for lamb chops or a small leg of lamb.

Makes enough for about 2 pounds of lamb

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Pome Bittersweet Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Whisk all of the ingredients together.
2. Pour over the lamb and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.
3. Remove the lamb from the marinade and cook using your preferred method.

Finish the cooked lamb with a few drops of fresh Bittersweet vinegar just before serving if you want the apple character to come forward. The same marinade works well with pork or duck.

After searing meat or mushrooms, the browned bits on the bottom are the beginning of the sauce. Barrel Aged Pome loosens them from the pan, then reduces into something glossy, savory, and concentrated.

Makes enough for 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons Pome Barrel Aged Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 cup chicken, beef, vegetable, or mushroom stock
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. After cooking your meat or mushrooms, transfer them from the skillet and reduce the heat to medium.
2. Add the shallot and cook in the fat remaining in the pan until softened.
3. Add the Barrel Aged Pome and scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to release the browned bits.
4. Let the vinegar reduce by roughly half.
5. Add the stock and mustard and continue cooking until the sauce lightly coats a spoon.
6. Remove from the heat and swirl in the cold butter.
7. Taste, season, and spoon immediately over the finished dish.

Sharp aged cheese, ripe fruit, and a few drops of Marionberry Pome create the same kind of sweet, salty, acidic balance that makes a good cheese course work.

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients

• 4 ounces aged cheddar or firm aged sheep’s milk cheese
• 1 ripe but firm pear
• 2 teaspoons Pome Marionberry Apple Cider Vinegar
• Small handful toasted walnuts or hazelnuts
• Freshly ground black pepper, optional

Method

1. Bring the cheese to room temperature.
2. Slice the pear just before serving and arrange it with pieces of cheese on a plate.
3. Scatter the toasted nuts around the plate.
4. Drizzle the Marionberry Pome lightly over the pear and cheese. A few drops in each bite are enough.
5. Finish with a small turn of black pepper if you like.
6. Eat the cheese, fruit, and vinegar together.

That distinction matters. Instead of disappearing into the cooking process, a few drops of Barrel Aged Pome hit the hot carrots at the end, where the vinegar’s aroma and acidity remain vivid.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds carrots
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Pome Barrel Aged Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• Flaky sea salt, optional

Method

1. Heat the oven to 425°F.
2. Cut the carrots lengthwise if large. Toss with olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
3. Spread them on a sheet pan and roast until deeply browned at the edges and tender in the center, about 25 to 35 minutes.
4. Transfer the hot carrots to a serving dish.
5. While they are still steaming, drizzle with 1 tablespoon Barrel Aged Pome and toss.
6. Taste before adding more. The goal is not to make the carrots taste vinegary. It is to make the carrots taste more like themselves.
7. Finish with parsley and flaky salt.

Keep a jar in the refrigerator for tacos, grain bowls, sandwiches, beans, salads, eggs, and roasted vegetables.

Makes one small jar

Ingredients

• 1 medium red onion
• 1/2 cup Pome Bittersweet Apple Cider Vinegar, minimum 5% acidity
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or pickling salt

Method

1. Wash and sanitize a heat-safe glass jar.
2. Peel the onion and slice it very thinly. Pack the slices into the jar.
3. Combine the Pome, water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring just to a simmer, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.
4. Pour the hot brine over the onions until they are submerged.
5. Allow the jar to cool, cover, and refrigerate.
6. Let the onions pickle for several hours before serving. They are even better the following day.

This is a refrigerator pickle. Keep it refrigerated. It is not intended for shelf-stable canning.

The classic proportion is simple: three parts oil to one part Pome. Dijon mustard brings everything together while the tannin and acidity of Bittersweet Apple Cider Vinegar give the dressing more structure than acidity alone.

Makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Pome Bittersweet Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon honey, optional

Method

1. Add the Pome, mustard, salt, pepper, and honey, if using, to a small bowl.
2. Whisk until combined.
3. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing comes together. Taste and adjust with another splash of Pome or a pinch of salt.
4. Use immediately over bitter greens, chicories, roasted vegetables, beans, or a simple green salad.