Apple cider vinegar is one of the most common vinegars most home cooks reach for, yet what’s sold in most supermarkets is harshly acidic and tasting of anything but apples. Sebastopol’s Little Apple Treats makes apple cider vinegar, however, is a world apart from the supermarket stuff. Produced from hand-picked apples, not the low-grade and windfall apples most companies use, and aged in oak barrels for two years before bottling, the cider is bright and sharp, with a bold apple flavor and subtle caramel tones contributed by the barrel aging. This is the best American apple cider vinegar we’ve tasted, every bit on par with the fancy, expensive French stuff from Normandy.

The vinegar’s flavor will really shine in our Apple and Fennel Salad with Candied Pecans, a New Orleans-Lebanese mash up by chef Alon Shaya. Or try the Smoky Grilled Pork Chops with Cider Gastrique from another New Orleans chef, Isaac Toups.

• Net volume: 375 ml
• Ingredients: Organic apples 
• Storage instructions: store in a cool, dark place