Tavern Vinegar Company From Chef Jonathon Sawyer

Jonathon Sawyer makes a knock-out vinegar

Jonathon Sawyer was in the middle of a bike ride when we called him recently.

Such multitasking is common for Sawyer, who is the chef-owner of the Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat in Cleveland. So it's not surprising that he recently launched a side company: Tavern Vinegar Co.

As the name suggests, Sawyer is peddling vinegars, both online (buy here) and at a few retail locations, including Publican Quality Meats in Chicago and Revival Market in Houston.

Current offerings include white wine ($11), red wine ($17) and beer vinegars ($8), but past iterations have included a lemon and Hefeweizen vinegar, a hardneck garlic vinegar and an apricot-sake vinegar.

They are punchy, like the offal of the vinegar world. Sawyer, who makes all of the vinegars in the cellar of his 150-year-old home, doesn't dilute or add sugar to the vinegars.

But what may feel like an assault becomes a boon in the kitchen. The vinegars taste deeply of their provenance. The red wine version grips and coats the tongue, and the beer vinegar is mellower with rich bready notes.

We'll be using them in everything from salads to cocktails. How's that for multitasking?