Decorative bottles of herb vinegar add vibrancy and interest to your kitchen, a space that is easily overlooked when you decorate your property. Distinctive glass bottles and fresh herbs take advantage of this display. Find vintage bottles in the flea market, buy new bottles with uncommon shapes in specialty stores, or repurpose old containers, such as soy sauce or vinegar bottles. Regardless of what you choose, use mint-condition glass bottles with no cracks or chips.
Clean your decorative glass bottles and their corresponding corks with warm water and dishwashing detergent. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a lint-free fabric.
Bring water to a low simmer in wide pan large enough for one to fully submerge the glass bottles. Insert the bottles and simmer for 10 minutes. Eliminate them with tongs to a clean kitchen towel to drain. Dip the corks in and out of the water four times and set them aside to dry.
Gather your own herbs. Inspect each sprig or leaf cautiously selecting only pristine trials. Trim them if required or when you would like shorter stems and less foliage. You can stick to one type of herb, such as rosemary, or blend several herbs together for variants in green color and gaps in texture.
Fill a bowl with cool water and submerge the herbs, then gently swishing them around to eliminate dirt. Place them on a kitchen towel.
Drain the bowl and add one teaspoon of household bleach and six cups of clean water. Dip the herbs in the solution and rinse them under cold water. Set them on towels to drain.
Slip the herbs to the bottles, starting with the ones which you would like closest to the bottom. For bottles with narrow openings, use a clean bamboo skewer to push the arrangement around as needed.
Insert other cosmetic components if desired. Black or vibrant peppercorns and strips of citrus zest add another layer of interest into the arrangement. Particular ingredients tint the vinegar over time. Dill flowers will provide a slightly greenish hue, while chive blossoms will gradually turn the vinegar a soft shade of pink. To get a darker pink colour, add opal basil.
Put a funnel tip from the bottle and gradually pour vinegar over the herbs until the liquid reaches the space where the bottom of the seams will hit. White vinegar is the perfect choice for decorative herb bottles because it’s clear and easily tinted with your additions if desired. Apple cider vinegar gives the finished job an amber hue, while red wine vinegar makes a rich look. Any type of wine vinegar can promote the growth of certain bacteria, so keep this in mind.
Cork the bottle and tie the top of the bottle with decorative twine or ribbon if desired.