This is more beautiful in person. If I were a better photographer I could show you the confetti flecks of light on the table, how the rosemary presses up against the glass, floating orange zest like a golden, botanical snow globe and flecks of red chili peppers peeking out in between.
The real inspiration for infusing vinegar was this bottle. We saw it, we wanted it and we needed an excuse to have it. There is an unspoken rule in our New York apartment that if it doesn't have a function we don't need it. Frankly because it probably doesn't fit. But there it was refracting the summer sun onto the tag sale table on the side of the road in rural Pennsylvania. So we took it home as memory of a lovely out-of-the-city weekend and found a way to put it to good use.
You don't need a beautiful bottle for this but it helps. This isn't quite a recipe. You want to heat up your vinegar so that it is warm but does not boil. Then pour it over your aromatics. I used 2 garlic cloves, the zest of one orange, a sprig of rosemary and 2 tian jen chilis.
I would love to hear some of your ideas for infused vinegar...
