As more and more consumers recognize the health benefits of cu (vinegar), vinegar bars and cafes offering beverages that combine rice vinegar with ingredients like fruits and vegetables have begun to appear in cities like Tokyo. They are attracting an increasing number of working men and women looking for new ways to beat the summer heat and stay healthy. These shops are competing for customers by developing original concoctions like desserts featuring rice vinegar and vinegar drinks made using oranges and grapefruits.

由于越来越多的消费者认识到醋的保健功效，一些以提供米醋和水果及蔬菜混合饮品为主的“醋吧”开始现身东京等城市，吸引了众多寻求消暑和养生新法的职场男女。为了争夺客源，各家“醋吧”纷纷研制特色调配饮品，比如，米醋味的甜点以及用橙子和葡萄柚搭配制成的醋饮料。

The vinegar-drinking trend gained momentum in 2004, when black vinegar became all the rage. Up until that time, the drinking of vinegar was relatively uncommon, but a boom was ignited when Chinese black vinegar, which contains more natural amino acids than the regular kind, began to be touted as both tasty and healthy.

2004年黑醋风靡一时之际，饮醋风潮开始盛行。在此之前，饮醋并不是很常见。但是中国黑醋因含更多氨基酸而被追捧为可口且保健的饮品后，饮醋之风便开始兴起。