What you need
Tarragon vinegar is vinegar infused with the herb’s anise-like flavor. Dried tarragon makes it easy to prepare any time of year.
- About 1 tablespoon dried tarragon per 1 cup of vinegar (a common home ratio; adjust to taste)
- 1 cup white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar, ideally labeled 5% acidity
- A clean glass jar and a clean bottle for the finished vinegar
- A fine strainer, coffee filter or cheesecloth
- A plastic lid, or plastic wrap between the vinegar and any metal lid
Method
- Wash the jar and bottle in hot soapy water and rinse well.
- Place the dried tarragon in the jar.
- Warm the vinegar gently in a small saucepan until steaming, without boiling hard. Some cooks skip warming, which also works and just takes longer.
- Pour the vinegar over the tarragon and let it cool.
- Cover the jar. Acidic vinegar can corrode metal, so use a plastic lid or put plastic wrap under a metal one.
- Store in a cool, dark place for about two weeks, shaking gently every few days.
- Taste. If you want a stronger flavor, steep a little longer or add more herb next time.
- Strain through a coffee filter or fine cloth into the clean bottle and discard the herb.
Label the bottle with the date.
Choosing a vinegar
White wine vinegar is the classic choice and lets the herb stand out. Champagne vinegar is milder, and apple cider vinegar adds a fruity note. Using a store-bought vinegar with a stated acidity of 5% helps keep the infusion on the safe side. If you make your own vinegar at home, its acidity is not known; see how to make kombucha vinegar for why that matters.
Storage and shelf life
Dried herbs carry less moisture than fresh ones, which makes this a lower-risk infusion than fresh herbs in vinegar. Even so, be conservative.
- Keep the finished vinegar tightly capped in a cool, dark place, or refrigerate it if you prefer extra caution.
- Strained vinegar keeps better than vinegar with the herb left in.
- Discard it if it turns cloudy in an unusual way, develops mold, or smells off.
There is no widely tested shelf life figure for this kind of home infusion, so plan to use it within a few months for best flavor, and refer to the National Center for Home Food Preservation for guidance on herb vinegars if you plan to give them as gifts.
Fresh vs. dried tarragon
Fresh tarragon gives a brighter, more delicate flavor, and recipes typically use more of it by volume, for example a handful of lightly crushed leaves per cup or so of vinegar. Dried tarragon is more concentrated per teaspoon and slightly more muted in aroma, but it is convenient, and it is the better choice if your garden plant has died back for winter.
Ways to use tarragon vinegar
- Whisked into vinaigrettes with oil and mustard
- Splashed into chicken, egg or potato salad
- Added to béarnaise-style sauces or pan sauces
- Used to deglaze a pan after cooking chicken or fish
What can I use instead of tarragon?
No herb tastes exactly like tarragon. Fresh chervil, fennel fronds or a small amount of basil can come close, and anise seed or fennel seed in tiny amounts gives a similar licorice note. For vinegar, dill or thyme can be used, but the flavor will be different.
Where can I find tarragon vinegar?
Many supermarkets stock it in the vinegar or specialty aisle, and gourmet shops and online sellers carry it as well. Making your own is inexpensive and lets you control the strength.
What does tarragon taste like?
Tarragon has a mild anise or licorice flavor with a slightly sweet, green edge. Many people compare it to fennel or star anise, but gentler.
Which fruit is best for making vinegar?
Fruit vinegar is a different process from steeping an herb in existing vinegar. It requires fermenting fruit sugars into alcohol and then into acetic acid. Apples are the most common starting fruit, and other fruits can work, but results are less predictable and the finished acidity is unknown, so it should not replace labeled 5% vinegar in canning.