You know how some recipes just never die and we are so glad they didn’t? This vinegar recipe made with fresh raspberries is one of them. It’s a recipe from 1900 that I found in the New York Times a while back. It looked so easy to make and, how could it not be good if it’s still being made over a century later? Now that I’ve made it a few times, I’ll probably never use another raspberry vinegar recipe again.
To make this vinegar, raspberries are first macerated in red wine vinegar for 3 days, strained to extract the juice, then cooked down with some sugar. Depending on how long you cook it down, you could end up with more of a raspberry syrup that can be poured over ice cream or used for raspberry flavored sodas. By decreasing the cook time you could make a thinner vinegar that works great in any vinaigrette that you want a little bit of a raspberry flavor.
Below is the original recipe and the adjusted recipe that I used. The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 quarts of raspberries and yields a quart of vinegar. I prefer to make smaller batches, so I adjusted the recipe for 2 cups of raspberries which yields about 1 cup of vinegar. Further along in this post you’ll find how just 1 teaspoon of this wonderful vinegar is used to make a refreshing raspberry soda.
Raspberry Vinegar
This recipe requires that the raspberry macerate for 3 days.
“*” See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
- 2 cups raspberries
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 pound sugar or 1 heaping cup of sugar for 1 cup extracted juice (2 cups raspberries yields 1 cup juice)
- In a nonreactive bowl, combine the vinegar and raspberries. Cover and let macerate for 3 days.
After 3 days, mash the raspberries in the bowl, then strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Twist the cheesecloth into a ball and squeeze to extract as much juice as possible.
- To every 1 cup of juice, add ½ pound of sugar. Combine the juice and sugar in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil and simmer (gently!) for 12 – 15 minutes (depending on how thick you want the vinegar to be).
Let cool, then pour into a clean bottle. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 months.
Proportions – This recipe can be adjusted to any amount of raspberries that you have on hand. Just use the original ratio of 1 ½ quarts berries : 1 cup red wine vinegar. For every cup of extracted juice, use 1/2 pound sugar.
Extracting juice – Don’t be afraid to make a mess here. In order to get all of the juice from the macerated berries you must squeeze the cheesecloth as shown in the picture. Just continue to tighten and squeeze until no more juice can be extracted.
Cook time – With only 1 cup of extracted juice, the 15 minute cook time suggested in the original recipe yields a raspberry syrup rather than a vinegar. It was an excellent syrup, but almost too thick for a vinaigrette. It’s perfect for some of the suggestions below. For a thinner vinegar, reduce the cooking time to 10 – 12 minutes. The thinner vinegar can be used the same way as the thicker vinegar, but works better for vinaigrettes.
Suggested Uses
Raspberry Vinegar Float and Raspberry Tart
Topping for Vanilla Ice Cream
Syrup for breakfast crepes
Sparkling Raspberry Flavored Soda (below)
Raspberry Vinaigrette or any vinaigrette
Sparkling Raspberry Flavored Soda
- 1 tsp. raspberry vinegar
- sparkling water
- ice
- extra raspberries (optional)
- A few mint leaves or 1 tsp. mint simple syrup (optional)
- In an 8 ounce tumbler, add 1 tsp. raspberry vinegar and about 1/4 cup sparkling water.*
- Stir to combine.
- Add enough ice to fill the glass about halfway.
- Fill the glass with sparkling water and add a couple of fresh raspberries and the mint if you want.
- Stir and enjoy!
Because the vinegar is rather thick like a syrup, it’s easier to blend it in with some soda prior to adding ice.
Hope you enjoy this Raspberry Flavored Vinegar and Raspberry Soda as much as we do!
Looking for another way to use raspberries, check out this Mixed Berry Jam and this Raspberry Mole Jam.
I bet this vinegar adds so much flavor to everything is added! I love the color of the refreshment too!
Thanks Katerina! You’re right, I haven’t put it on anything yet where I didn’t like it. 🙂
What a beautiful shade of pink. I imagine this is wonderful and love all the ways it can be used. Have to keep an eye out for raspberries on sale!
Thanks Abbe! We do a lot of homemade soda drink with seltzer and this is a keeper.
Must do vinegar. Definitely ! !
It’s good stuff! Thanks!
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Internet explorer.
I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know.
The design look great though! Hope you get the problem resolved soon.
Kudos
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It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this brilliant blog!
I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
I look forward to new updates and will talk about this website with
my Facebook group. Chat soon!
I’ve never made a homemade vinegar before. It’s always been so easy to pick them up at the gourmet shop. I will try this old-time recipe once raspberries come in season. It looks wonderful.
Maureen you really should try making your own vinegar. It’s very easy and the results are always better than what you can buy.
Ah, this is neat! Mark’s mom has one bottle of raspberry vinegar (home-made by the aunt) sitting in the cabinet for a long time. She doesn’t really know what to do with it. Thanks to your brilliant idea. I can definitely help putting this homemade vinegar in good use now. My MIL and aunt will be happy:)
Thanks Reese! I do have to give you a warning here – This is a very syrupy and sweet vinegar, so if the raspberry vinegar your MIL has is made without sugar, I probably wouldn’t use it in a soda, unless you added sugar. So be sure to check first.
That sounds, and looks, fantastic – gorgeous deep colour. I love the bottle it’s in too – so pretty. It seems really strange to me – vinegar over ice-cream or in lemonade, but I suppose it’s more of a delicious sweet flavour than a super sharp, astringent “vinegar” flavour!
Thanks Charles! This is really a sweet vinegar and not a very astringent vinegar flavor, so over ice cream, it’s quite rich.
This is so tempting soda, I love to the core MJ.
I love both of these recipes. I’m definitely saving these. This will be a nice addition to my holiday gift giving. Thank you for sharing it. When I get back home I’m making that Raspberry Vinegar.
Thanks Vicki! I was thinking the same thing about the vinegar. What a great gift it will make!
What…Raspberry vinegar…how do you get such innovative ideas, MJ….making a vinegar and the a soda with it…just amazing! The fizz in that glass is making me crazy..
Thanks Sanjeeta! When you have produce, you can come up with all sorts of ideas. I see you do the same all of the time! 🙂 This particular raspberry vinegar recipe is not the one I use to. It’s similar, but I actually like this one better. Thanks for your wonderful comments as always!
I can’t get over how gorgeous this drink is! It would be so perfect for brunch alfresco in the summer. My refrigerator is always full of berries in the summer. LOVE love berries. Another must try for me!
Thanks Gomo! I’m the same way – during the summer the fridge has a potpourri of berries. 🙂
I’ve been a little crazy without eating berries here in Japan… they are either too expensive or don’t exist. Looking at your raspberry vinegar soda…my throat is getting so thirsty and crave for this. Very unique and I want to taste it!!
Thanks Nami! I’d go crazy without berries this time of year, but I’m sure you’ve been able to find something to replace them. Hope you’re having a wonderful trip!!
I love vintage recipes. This drink looks so refreshing!
With few additional ice cubes it must be amazing.
Delightful and refreshing!! Looks stunning and tempting. I just came back from doing yard work and would love to have a glass of that.
Thanks Minnie! This is the perfect drink when you’re hot and damp. 🙂
Wow! I can’t wait to try both recipes! Have a wonderful weekend MJ!
Thanks Tessa! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend as well!
Oh, I’m pinning this to try when raspberries are next in season – although I guess frozen would work? Cheers
Thanks Carole! I’ve never tried it with frozen raspberries, but I don’t see why they wouldn’t work. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out.
Oh, my. I’d love some of that syrupy raspberry vinegar over vanilla ice cream. It sounds outrageously delicious!
Thanks Liz! It is awesome over ice cream!
stunning pics.. So refreshing drink
I love the look of this sparkling drink; it is soooo beautiful and refreshing. This is definitely something to try because I would never thought of using red wine vinegar in a drink. Thank you, MJ and I wish you and Bobby a gorgeous weekend! 🙂
Thanks Ray! I agree about the vinegar in a a drink. However, this Raspberry Vinegar came out so sweet, that the vinegar was not as strong and just added depth rather than dominated the flavor. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend as well! Thank you!
It reminds me of Anne of Green Gables, raspberry cordial and simpler times..
What a wonderful and refreshing beverage!
Raspberry vinegar is already great as a concept, but the raspberry vinegar soda sounds fabulous. I love the white elegant photos, too. Like straight from a cooking magazine or book (and not the ones from 1900 😉 ). I feel cooler only looking at your beautiful drink!
I was just contemplating the other day how soured dishes are cooling and refreshing on hot summer days…. and here you are with a vinegar recipe and a gorgeous sour drink!
I have been planning to make my own vinegar too (I mean from the scratch) and adding fruits, chile etc. to season it would be a logical next step. I haven’t made it yet though. I think I will look for bottles with the “mother” (there are always some in shops when I look closely…). Thank you for inspiration.
Thanks so much Sissi! Your comments (as well as everyone’s) makes me smile. 🙂 I did play around with this pictures a lot. They are a little more elegant than most of my pics, but just seemed right for these recipes. Your comments are greatly appreciated! I love making my own vinegars from scratch and have been doing it for years. This is not my usual raspberry vinegar recipe, but I think it has replaced it. I love this one and since it can also be used as a syrup, its makes it so much more versatile. Have fun making your own vinegars! Love the idea of adding chile. 🙂
We both posted ideas for sodas today! Both made with summer fruit! 😀 I’ve never thought to make my own raspberry vinegar, but this sounds completely doable.
Thanks Kiersten!! I just checked out your Peach syrup for peach sodas. Looks delicious!
Oh yum! Saving this one on Pinterest. 🙂
Thanks Judy!
For sure we will. I just have to get through the apricots first. Thanks for the recipes Peach Lady, I will let you know when I get around to making it.
Thanks Zsuzsa! You have apricots this year? I’m jealous. We had a late freeze, so the apricot crop here was non-existent. 🙁 I hope you do get a chance to make it. It’s so good!
I love raspberries!!!!
Love the colors MJ…..a show stopper!!
I love vintage recipes, MJ and this one sounds fantastic. I like your smaller batch idea, that works much better for me! And the soda looks beautiful 🙂
Thanks April! yep – When I saw 1 quart of vinegar in the original recipe, I thought – what on earth would I do with that much vinegar? Thus the smaller batch. It’s so easy to make that when one batch is gone, it only takes 3 days to have another.
Gosh, I so love the colors of this! That shade of pink in the top photo is stunning. Photos are quite good too – you’ve been playing, I see. 😉 Great recipes, too. I’ve never made raspberry vinegar or soda, and I’ve obviously been missing out. I gotta try these! This post is so excellent on so many levels – thanks so much.
Thanks so much John! Yes – I’ve been playing. I tried the vinegar and soda in several different settings and this is the one that worked. I always appreciate your comments about my photography since you are one of my mentors. 🙂 And yes – you have been missing out if you haven’t had a raspberry soda. I see the gears turning in your head right now trying to come up with a cocktail. 🙂
wow That sparkling drink is a stunner! It must be very refreshing.
Thanks Angie! The drink is VERY refreshing!