Locally grown fruit blended with vinegar is taking off as a popular alternative to alcohol and providing an additional source of income for producers in Queensland's Granite Belt region.
Drinking vinegar has been popular for hundreds of years, but the ingredient once used as a 17th-century scurvy cure is now experiencing a revival.
"I suppose when you think about it, our grandparents used to drink vinegar as a form of medicine, you know, take away hiccups and all sorts of things," producer Justin Fawdon said.
Mr Fawdon owns Budburst Australia which began infusing its leftover apricots and plums with vinegar earlier in the year.
The new drink allowed stone fruit growers to reduce waste with damaged fruit tasting just as sweet when mixed with the vinegar.
Once picked, it is left to infuse with the vinegar for around 10 weeks before being filtered.
Mr Fawdon said the drink was carving out a new, niche market.
"We didn't really have a clear idea of our ideal customer," he said.
"But as we have continued to do these markets and things and festivals, we're sort of saying there's a distinct group of people.
"It varies but generally it's sort of mid 30s, mostly ladies."
Non-alcoholic alternatives growing
Amy Armstrong made a business out of reviewing non-alcoholic drinks after deciding to abstain from liquor in December 2020.
She said drinking vinegar could satisfy the need for an adult drink that didn't taste like soft drink or wine.
"It's becoming more mainstream now and these are great because people can play around with them at home and you can mix it how you want and it's not just a soft drink, it's an adult drink with complexity and depth of flavour," she said.
Ms Armstrong said people would begin seeking out the product.
"Alternatives have grown exponentially over the last couple of years," she said.
"In the two years since starting my business, what's on the market now is just incredible, there's been such growth."
More restaurants stocking drink
Ms Armstrong said the vinegar drink was officially called a shrub and "has had a place in high end restaurants for a while".
"They've been doing non-alcoholic pairing menus for a while," she said.
"But there's definitely a place for them which is exciting."
At Jeff Brady's Korean/Japanese restaurant in Toowoomba his Korean sweet drinking vinegar is in high demand.
It comes in flavours like pomegranate and blueberry.
"The drinking vinegar we know is Korean, which is drunk for enjoyment, but it also has a supposed variety of health benefits, and it is catching on in Australia for the taste," he said.
"We introduced it seven or so years ago as it is a nice alternative with soda water mixed as a mocktail and it's recently become more popular.
"It's certainly an increasing category in the hospitality world."
"People say, vinegar why do I drink that, so we do get people ask what it is, but they become genuinely repeat customers after they try it."
