These Cult Vinegars Make Everything Taste Better—Instantly

SCOTT FRIEDMANN had no intention of starting a vinegar company. The plastic vats filled with liquid in various stages of fermentation that were stinking up his basement were intended as a hobby project for Mr. Friedmann and his then-15-year-old son. They started with red and white wines but soon moved on to aged hard cider, oranges, Campari and fresh flowers grown on the family’s farm outside Toronto.

It wasn’t long before Mr. Friedmann, a serial food entrepreneur, decided the world needed a modern vinegar company with “rock ’n’ roll” flavors and branding to match. Since its launch last August, his Acid League label has debuted more than 30 vinegars. More accessible flavors such as Strawberry Rosé and Meyer Lemon Honey sell at Whole Foods across the U.S. Experimental small batches, sold online, harness the flavors of everything from salty umeboshi plums to nectarines and roasted coconut. “That umeboshi line was the Jimi Hendrix of vinegar,” said Mr. Friedmann. “Sweet, fruity, salty, powerful. You put a drop of that in someone’s mouth and it makes Pop Rocks look like amateur hour.”