The market · Acids and agents

Tartaric acid

The acid of grapes and wine — cream of tartar is its salt — with a hard, grippy sourness that reads as 'wine' in a drink.

hard · winey · grippy

What to do with it

Ibu Sari's Beef rendangTartaric acid would cut through its richnessAna Etxarri's Pil pilTartaric acid would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's SuyaTartaric acid would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's Rendang, the Lagos wayTartaric acid would cut through its richness

Goes with

lactic acidgrapesparkling winesugar

Knowing it

Where to buy
Winemaking suppliers.
Worth knowing
For 'champagne acid' — a wine-like sourness for sparkling drinks without citrus — dissolve 3g tartaric and 3g lactic acid (as pure acid) in 94g water: a 6% solution, the strength of lemon juice. Tartaric dissolves slowly; warm the water.

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