How to Make Your Own Raisin and Whisky Vinegar?

It’s kid’s play really. Let me first explain how vinegar is made.

Yeast and bacteria

Yeasts break down the sugars. This happens in making wine, beer, and bread. It produces alcohol and gas (bubbles).

Then alcohol is broken down by bacteria into acetic acid, which makes wine sour, and basically makes vinegar.

Sugar -> alcohol -> acetic acid

Sugar to Alcohol
Have a mixture of raisins and water. The total sugar content of the mixture should be around 20-30%. So if raisins contain 60% sugar then add about an equal part of water in weight.

• 500 g raisins
• 500–1000 g favourite (unchlorinated) water

Put on a lid that does not draw in air, but allows air to escape. This is important because of the gas that needs to escape from the jar.

Keep it at a dark and warm place. For instance, close to a radiator. Wait 30 days. And you’ll have booze.

You can drink the alcohol if allowed for your age in your country.

Now replace the lid with a breathable cloth and let it stand in a dark place at room temperature for 30 days. Now you’ll have vinegar.

Keep it in a clean bottle with an airtight seal. Label the name, the estimated acidity, and the date of bottling.

This unpasteurised vinegar you can use to jump start new vinegars.

Making whisky vinegar

Starting a whisky vinegar requires some math.

For making a vinegar it’s necessary that the alcohol content of the base mixture is around 7% (range 5–9%).

At 40% alcohol that means you need to dilute it to 7%.

• 50g 40% whisky. (I found that clear or chill-filtered whisky works best, as opposed to cloudy or non-chill filtered whisky)
• 220 g (unchlorinated) water
• 6 tablespoons (90g) of unpasteurised vinegar: The chance of success increases with amounts up to 50% (270g)

That’s it. Stir it a little. Put a piece of cloth on the mouth of the jar. Put in a dark place at room temperature. After 30–60 days of vinegarisation it’s ready. Label the name, the acidity, and date of bottling.

Enjoy your vinegar, and have fun playing around with other kinds. Wine, port, rum…