Don’t pour that pickle juice down the drain. It’s a cocktail darling

NEW YORK AP If you have a cocktail scene in your neck of the woods and it s safe to say that I do in NYC you might have noticed the words pickle juice appearing more often on drink menus Pickles and pickle brine have been an ingredient that mixologists and chefs have played with for a long time but they re ultimately getting a star turn in beverage menus around the world Pickle juice is salty tangy acidic and sometimes a little spicy It adds zing to all kinds of cocktails Pickles are a great gateway into savory cocktails says Camille Goldstein managing partner of Muddling Memories a Brooklyn-based hospitality company that promotes beverages as an experience The sweet-salty brine of a pickle really creates an compelling depth of flavor for your margarita martini or even a highball A drink called the Pickleback has been popular for years Disclosed to have originated at a Brooklyn bar called Bushwick Country Club it consists of a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle brine Word spread Now pickle juice has been making its way into all kinds of cocktails from margaritas to martinis to micheladas The pickle juice martini in particular has taken off it s kind of a twist on a dirty martini usually made with olive juice It s all part of a pickle and fermentation renaissance in multiple food categories The a multitude of variations of the pickle martini Watering holes known for their pickle martinis include Rizzo s Bar Inn in Chicago Belle s Bagels Delicatessen and Bar in Los Angeles Maison Pickle and The Penrose in New York Reata in Forth Worth Texas The Loutrel in Charleston South Carolina and Old Pony Martini Pub in Grosse Pointe Michigan among other places At The Penrose they serve up about pickle martinis a day made with McClure s Pickles spicy brine and ALB vodka says bartender Heaven Cluesman Once shaken he says the brine creates a foamy layer on top of the drink A garnish of a couple of pickle slices on a skewer makes it clear what s in the glass Casa Thirteen on the Lower East Side of Manhattan where Jewish immigrants sold pickles in the late th and early th centuries makes a spicy pickle martini with pickle juice spiked with hot peppers vodka and vermouth recipe below The bartender Reinaldo Maria says the restaurant makes its own pickles and cocktails are a good way to use the spicy brine a nice little restaurant-kitchen ecosystem And beyond martinis Pickle juice is a great foil to fatty foods so a pickle juice cocktail is a nice accompaniment to burgers steaks chops duck and other rich meals But note It contains a lot of sodium so if you are reducing salt in your diet keep that in mind Other pickle-juice drinks of note The Mr Pickles shooter at The Barbershop Cuts and Cocktails in Las Vegas is a shot of whisky served with a hollowed-out pickle filled with pickle brine You ll find a Pickle Negroni with gin aquavit vermouth bitter bianco cucumber and dill brine at Little Bear in Atlanta And at the Hollywood Lounge at Disneyland in California there s a Pickle Michelada made with beer pickle juice tomato mix and chile lime seasoning garnished with a pickle spear The beauty of pickle brine is that it plays nicely and favorably with all the other aspects of flavors in a cocktail aka bitter sweet salt sour and spicy says Goldstein Fast-food restaurants put pickles in drinks Pickle juice is appearing in more non-alcoholic drinks as well Popeyes Chicken introduced Pickle Lemonade this spring as part of a limited-time-only pickle menu And V Grillo s Pickles has partnered with Sonic on a limited-time pickle-centric menu including the Picklerita Slush a sweet-tart beverage made with pickle juice lime and fizzy pickle flavor bubbles topped with a Grillo s Pickle Chip Making one at home If pickles aren t your thing then it s unlikely a pickle juice cocktail will be either But if you like pickles don t knock it til you ve sipped it To try a pickle cocktail at home pick up a pack of Spritz Society s Pickle Spritzers made with wine carbonated water and Claussen s pickle juice Or look for canned Dill Pickle Bloody Mary mix non-alcoholic from V Grillo s Pickles Enjoy it as a mocktail or use it as a mixer and add a shot of your favorite spirit Here s one recipe Casa Thirteen s Spicy Pickle Martini The bar enhances their pickle juice with hot peppers but you can use the strained brine from any store-bought spicy pickles You could also add a splash of brine from pickled hot peppers to bump up the heat in your cocktail Ingredients ounce spicy pickle juice ounces vodka the bar uses Grey Goose but any vodka will do ounces dry vermouth Pickled basque pepper or pickled jalapeno to garnish optional Directions Fill a cocktail shaker with ice Add the pickle juice vodka and vermouth and shake until the outside of the shaker is ice cold Strain and pour into a martini glass Garnish with the pickled pepper if desired Serve cold Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking Dinner Solved and The Mom Cookbook She blogs at https themom com She can be reached at Katie themom com For more AP food stories go to https apnews com hub recipes Source