Thursday, March 11, 2010

Funky Raspberry Vinegar Latte

Tonight I combined two of my favorite things about Madison--Alterra coffee from Barriques and crazy flavored vinegar from Vom Fass.  If you live any where else in the world prepare to wish for the first time ever that you lived in the Midwest because I'm about to tell you how those two things together make a great latte. 

The great thing about working in a wine store that also is a cafe is the close proximity to two of my favorite things in life: coffee and wine.  This inevitably leads to opportunities to try a lot of tasty examples of each.  Even better is that on slow nights I can amuse myself by making unusual drinks on the espresso bar. 

Today I happened to have just enough time to follow through with an idea I had been pondering over for awhile, can a fruity vinegar make a great addition to a latte?  Some of the sweeter vinegars from Vom Fass make a good substitute for sugary syrups when combined to with sparkling water to make good non traditional Italian sodas.  Having experimented with that I figured the chances were decent that the right vinegar would work to make a flavored latte.  And I was right.

Turns out with the right ratio of fruity vinegar and honey to take the edge off the acidity this makes a fine drink.  It was a little weird at first but with a little more experimentation to find the perfect vinegar I believe the Vom Fass vinegar latte could outshine even my former favorite Emily experimental drink, the Earl Gray mocha.

Of course unless you have an espresso machine at home I'm shamelessly teasing you with this recipe.  But that kind of is my job to tell you about tasty things even if a lot of them only exist in my own little world some of the time.



Vom Fass Vinegar Latte

1 scant ounce of a fruit flavored vinegar
2 shots of espresso
honey, to taste
12 ounces of steamed milk


I had good results with making this drink with the Raspberry Wadlburg Balsam Vinegar and the Blackcurrant Waldburg Balsam Vinegar from Vom Fass.  Buy some single serving sizes of some of the vinegars and experiment with what you like.  Or use your favorite fruity vinegar that you already have.

Pour the vinegar, espresso and honey into the bottom of a warm mug and stir well.  Steam your milk making sure not to make it too warm or it will curdle the vinegar, and pour gently into the mug.  Give the latte a stir.  Taste and add more honey if the drink is still too acidic for you.  Top with whipped cream if its to your taste.

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