“Ramp” It Up with The MadHouse Vinegar Co.

ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA DUNHAM

This spring, The MadHouse Vinegar Co. will release another batch of its seasonal Ramp Vinegar, which includes pawpaw, persimmon, and spicebush. Part of the artisanal vinegar maker’s “Appalachian flavor series,” the specialty flavor has been out of stock since last summer. “Our range of flavors and the quality of our seasonal vinegars are pretty solid,” says MadHouse cofounder Richard Stewart, whose business partner Justin Dean began experimenting with malt vinegar in 2014. “We focus on flavors that shine on their own—spicebush, ramp, banana, basil, and cucumber. That appeals to a whole lot of folks who understand the value of vinegar as one of the foundational blocks of good food and an essential pantry item.” Stewart and Dean are kicking around a few new flavors for this year, including banana balsamic and rice wine (a partnership with the folks at local soy sauce brand CinSoy).