Blackberry Vinegar

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After almost three years of practice, I can humbly say that I've acquired some expertise in making apple cider vinegar at home, something I recently shared in this post. Having read an interesting article about some hip New York chefs who make their own vinegar with many different fruits and vegetables, I decided to start experimenting a bit as well. For some reason, I had never thought that I could simply use the same method that I use with apples, but with other types of fruit. 

My first experiment was with blackberries. I decided to test the recipe with a small amount, in order not to waste too much in case it didn't work out. But it worked out just fine, and actually very fast: in only a couple of days, the blackberry/sugar mixture was already fermenting, and a small vinegar mother started building on top of it. 

I decided to let the fruit ferment for a week, and then, after filtering it, also let it rest for another week (plus a couple of days) in order to get a more intense flavor. 

The result of my first "non-apple" vinegar experiment.

Blackberry vinegar in process, with the mother on top.

I'm very pleased with the result: a vibrant red blackberry vinegar with a nice balance of acidic/fruity taste, ready in only about two weeks. I took the mother out after filtering it and added it to my next vinegar experiment with strawberries and blueberries, which is now in process.