3 days Ago By [email protected] (Stephen Bradley)
Whether you're breaking out the pint glasses for a group of guests or popping open a bottle for a solo night, most beer drinkers have their tried-and true favorite brew. However, a familiar beer can start to become boring at times. Next time you find yourself wanting more from your go-to draft, pour in just a touch of pickle juice.
It may seem like an odd pair, but it totally works. Pickle juice introduces a sourness and briny profile to the toasted, bready taste of beer. The acidity actually complements beer's malty and yeasty overtones, brightening the overall flavor profile.
It is a similar concept to squeezing a lime wedge into a bottle of Corona or serving a pint of Blue Moon with an orange wheel. The pickle juice addition works best with light to medium ales and lagers — the mellow, yeasty taste welcomes the added punch of pickle juice. Just steer away from splashing strong, heavy stouts — such as Guinness — with pickle juice.
These brews have deep and robust flavors that clash with pickle juice's piquant acidity. Alcohol and pickle juice have a longstanding relationship Pouring pickle juice into a pint of beer comes from a far-reaching history of mixing pickle juice and alcohol. Akin to dirtying a martini with olive brine, pickle juice introduces a sour acidity to cocktails that balances out the booze-forward flavors.
You can even take this concept the next level by . — which was born in New York City before becoming a global phenomenon — uses pickle juice as a chaser to a shot of whiskey. Nowadays, the term pickleback shot is colloquially used for any case where pickle juice chases a shot of liquor.
is another drink with pickle juice that is rooted in New York City tradition. Katz's Delicatessen, a classic Lower East Side joint, collaborated with Hendrick's Gin to produce a gin-inspired pickle. This cocktail combines pickle juice, gin, Topo Chico mineral water, and a small pickle for an ice-cold, floral, and briny drink.
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