Balsamic vinegar is a sweet, dark vinegar made from trebbiano grape juice that has been boiled down and then fermented through an aging process.
True balsamic vinegar, or Balsamico Tradizionale, is a potent, black nectar that can be used by the drop to brighten and deepen grilled meat or fish or a bowl full of fresh strawberries. That one drop can be really expensive. One hundred milliliters (less than half a cup) of true balsamico routinely costs more than $100, depending on the age. (The small, wax-sealed bottle looks like it should be carried under a cloak and exchanged for a burlap sack of coins in a dark cobblestone alley.)