#drinkingvinegars

About a month ago, I discovered McClary Bros through a neighbor of mine in Reynoldstown in Atlanta, GA. He's a partner in the company and through him I was connected to Jess McClary, founder of the drinking vinegar. I'm thrilled to share the interview with her below. Check out their product location page to see if they're near you!

What is McClary Bros. Drinking Vinegar and how did it begin? I founded McClary Bros. in 2012 while I was in culinary school. It was originally a bakery from home called McClary Bros. Bakehouse, named for my 4-year-old twin boys Jack & Ben, but it wasn’t long before I found the concept of Drinking Vinegars and had a lightbulb moment. So I fell in love with the idea first, but I didn't know exactly what I'd do to execute it. Then I was at Eastern Market (Detroit's largest, oldest farmers' market) and I'd stopped at a stall called "Grown in Detroit", it's run by a nonprofit called Keep Growing Detroit that is a co-op of urban farms, urban growers and community garden growers. This particular week, I noticed they had mulberries that someone had foraged from their neighborhood. It practically jumped of the table and into my bag. I knew it was the fruit that I wanted to test my idea. I also happened to have an excess of rhubarb from some items I'd been baking (I used to sell a mean Rhubarb Buckle). So that's where it all began: Me, in my kitchen, with a sack of mulberries, a pound of rhubarb, some jars and a lot of moxie. A few months later I found a bakery/coffee shop that let me rent their kitchen on nights and Sundays and that's how we first began commercially producing them. We operated out of that kitchen, working long, late nights, for a year before moving our production to where it's done now. 

How old are the brothers now, and do they take great interest in your concept? Jack and Ben will be turning 5 this summer and they love “Shrubs”. Ben’s favorite flavor is Beet & Carrot, for Jack it’s Strawberry. They were toddlers when McClary Bros. started so they’re just growing up in the middle of it. It’s pretty normal for them to stop by the tasting room or have vinegars all over the house.

What is the origin and process of creating shrubs? Certain aspects of our specific production are proprietary, but traditionally shrubs were a great way to preserve fruits without refrigeration. We describe our flavors as our “modern take on a classic technique” because you’d never have seen Colonial Americans making shrubs from things like Beets & Carrots or Basil, but their some of our best flavors.

When did they transition to being used for cocktails? The booze was terrible! Seriously, the distillation process was rudimentary and left a lot of toxic flavors and byproducts in the spirits. Shrubs made them smell and taste better (and the digestive aid properties of vinegar helped them digest those terrible spirits a little easier).

What are some dream ingredients that you hope to work with in the future? My favorite flavors are our “Premium Flavors” and they’re typically harder to source. We don’t have them all the time and you can typically only get them from us directly due to the small batch size but flavors like Michigan Paw Paw and Detroit Fig Leaf are the sweet spot where our highly-crafted technique meets an unusual or uncommon ingredient. I’m deeply committed to local agriculture and biodiversity, so I like to showcase flavors that support growers particularly with crops that are in danger of being forgotten or are commonly overlooked. So I guess, my answer is “I’ll know it when I find it at a farmers’ market”, because that’s where my favorite kind of discoveries happen.

What are some of your favorite cocktails to enjoy with shrubs? I definitely have a favorite cocktail for each flavor, but when I make a cocktail at home I keep it simple: 1.5 oz spirit, 1 oz Vinegar, 1.5 oz sparkling water. As it so happens, I am sipping on a Basil & Rye cocktail right now, but Apple Pie Bourbon is timeless.

The heart of your mission is to remain local and to support your community through collaborations and partnerships. What are your hopes and dreams as McClary Bro's Drinking Vinegar expands into new areas? It’s important to me to not only support our farmers here in Detroit and all of Michigan, but as we expand into other regions, sourcing from and showcasing the locally grown ingredients in other regions.

I'm a designer by day and love your logo. Can you go into the development and creative process for it's final look? A million conversations, revisions, adjustments and updates! When it comes to the aesthetic of our brand and our logo I am aggressively meticulous and particular. I had a very particular “feel” in mind in the beginning and as a team, we worked with a local graphic designer to achieve the look that we have now. It was very important to me that the bottles look perfectly appropriate next to top shelf spirits behind the bar or in your living room home bar. I wanted it to be classy and distinguished without pretension (and just a hint of its Colonial roots). And as a side note, I love that you ask. I don’t think many people appreciate quite how much thought and work goes into creating a brand.