Over the last few years, the martini has become as much an accessory as a handbag. (Though it never left my repertoire, that’s for sure.) Some like ‘em wet and others, like them brine-packed and finished with a perch of olives.
But the presence of brine hasn’t been limited to ‘tinis. Recently, more and more pickle-packed beverages have entered the scene. This week, Yelp predicted the top trends of 2023, citing its searches and businesses that drew significant interest over the last two years. One of the top 10 trends listed is pickle-flavored products, including pickle martinis and pickle ice cream. Searches for pickle-flavored food were up 55%. “Pickles are a big ‘dill’ this year,” Yelp noted.
In July, Mountain Dew rolled out a Dill Pickle-flavored version. Last week, Citadelle Gin released Vive le Cornichon, a liquid ode to the French cornichon.
Vive le Cornichon is the first product out of the distillery, and part of the “Les Excentriques” series: a dedication to unusual flavorings. The juniper-based spirit is flavored with cornichon pickles from Burgundy’s Maison Marc, and 19 other botanicals, including Sichuan pepper, coriander, and nutmeg.
“Maison Marc is making the best French pickles that you can imagine,” Alexandre Gabriel told InsideHook. “They grow their own and take care of the full process. When I saw them doing this, I was really inspired and thought we could produce a wonderful gin that could be a perfect balance of freshness, acidity, and a tangy feel. We distilled it and thought we would be shut down by the marketing team, who often think we are a bit too crazy at the distillery. Luckily, they loved it, and we made it into a special edition so we can enjoy it together.”
Illinois’ Destihl Brewing has a dill pickle sour beer — a gose ail combined with Suckerpunch dill … [+]
Out of Toronto, Dillon’s makes an excellent dill pickle vodka — briney, punchy, but silky in a martini, especially if you’re lacking olive brine in your fridge. A collaboration with Oliver & Bonacini restaurant group, the vodka is steeped in dill pickles, garlic, and hot peppers in addition to the usual gin billing. The company advertises it as the perfect addition to a Caesar (Canada’s Clamato-spiked answer to a Bloody Mary) but I stand behind its role in a martini. Also in the city, Burdock Brewery often releases Pickle Dilluxe: a semi-savory sparkling water made with pickle brine and Toronto tap water.
Illinois’ Destihl Brewing has a dill pickle sour beer — a gose ail combined with Suckerpunch dill pickles. Suckerpunch also made a range of pickle-themed mocktails and cocktails with the help of mixologist Sam Rivers. Flavors include a pickle-spiked margarita. Pickle brand Grillo’s Pickles touts that their pickles work well in bloody marys, martinis, margaritas, and of course, picklebacks.
Last year, Texas-based seltzer brand Shiner launched a pickle-spiked hard seltzer named The Juicy … [+]
Last year, Texas-based seltzer brand Shiner launched a pickle-spiked hard seltzer named The Juicy Dill Pickle Straight Shooter. It blends sweet and sour dill pickles made into an actual neutral grain hard seltzer. At 4.5% ABV, it’s got big deli energy. As did Crook & Marker: in collaboration with BruMate, the alcohol beverage brand rolled out a limited-edition hard pickle seltzer named Afternoon Dillight.
Also last year, Hendrick’s Gin released a collaboration with Katz’s Delicatessen: gin-inspired pickled cucumber. The recipe featured whole juniper berries and cubeb berries to riff off the botanicals in the gin. The product was initially just an April Fool’s joke, but positive reception on social media conjured the product into existence later that year.
Have we reached peak pickle? Perhaps not, but it doesn’t seem far away.