Drinking Vinegar... It Does a Body Good

Say the words "health drink" and, depending on which part of the world you claim as home, any of the following would naturally come to mind: For Europeans, a tall glass of drinking yogurt... For Turks, a cup of kefir... For Indians, a smooth, cool lassi... My fellow Americans might reach for an order of something freshly squeezed from the juice bar, with heaven forbid, some lab-processed whey protein and additives mixed in for good measure. Or maybe a sports bottle of Gatorade to restore all those lost electrolytes from a mega cardio session at the gym... that's healthy, right? :)

Flip to the Asian side of the world, and it's a different story altogether. The health tonic of choice in Korea and Japan is nothing dairy- or yogurt-related, but a vinegar instead. Drinking vinegar, you say? Your nose is already wrinkling up with distaste at the prospect of sipping a vinegar on purpose. Yes, vinegar. But not just any vinegar. There's apple, raspberry, pomegranate, black currant, and others to choose from... With such delicious fruits to balance out the puckering bite of a pungent mouthful, you can maybe start to imagine that sipping a drinking yogurt is more than strictly medicinal: it can actually be something of a culinary experience.

Weeks ago, I picked up a couple bottles of pomegranate vinegar on special at the supermarket. I had noticed on more than a few occasions, while combing the store aisles, the neatly shelved smoked-glass bottles taunting me with their colorful labels and slender design. I had looked them over carefully, eyeing the packaging, trying to decide which of the many flavors would be first to come home with me. I remembered vaguely reading something about pomegranate's health properties and, as it's always been something of an exotic fruit to me, the sale price provided the final bit of arm-twisting needed to land a couple of shiny bottles of pomegranate drinking vinegar in my shopping cart.

I'm not a stranger to vinegar myself. I began a habit a little over a year ago of swirling a spoonful each of apple cider vinegar and honey in a mugful of water, and sipping on it slowly during my morning commutes. I had read about the health benefits of vinegar during some in-depth research on cleansing, detoxification, and natural health. I was impressed to learn that a simple spoonful of vinegar could aid my digestion, boost my energy, improve my circulation, moderate my blood sugar, and even speed my metabolism. I was sold!

After coming to Korea, ironically, I fell out of the habit. And sadly, even after my great buy at the market weeks ago, the bottles were stashed unopened among boxes of cooking supplies soon to be shuttled to my new apartment. So it wasn't until today that I unearthed the vinegar, popped off the lid, and mixed up my first real Korean vinegar drink. And if I was a believer in the power of the almighty vinegar before (which I was), today I became a born-again drinker. Mid-glass, I began to imagine mixing my new favorite flavor with seltzers and club sodas, pouring it over ice in a frosted martini glass, spritzing it with a splash of vodka, garnishing it with a plump cherry. Yes, it was really that good! Its flavor was a perfect blend of sweet, fruity notes and sophistication. I think I've discovered my new favorite beverage.

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For more information on drinking vinegars, where to buy them and how to mix them, try the following websites:
DrinkingVinegar.com
Health Benefits of Drinking Vinegar
HMart Online Asian Grocery

And some other blogs with good vinegar info:
Pomegranate Vinegar Drink (including a recipe for making it from scratch)
My Korean Diet (scroll down to the Drinking Vinegar section)