In a Pickle at Eastern Market, Image courtesy of afagen

Drink of the Week: Picklebacks
Where: Tabard Inn

Pickles have recently been subject to some strange recipes. Take pickle pops, popsicles made from pickle juice, which proclaim the health benefits of vinegar. There are also Kool-Aid Dills – pickles that have been marinated in Kool-Aid to provide a hit of sour and sweet in scary neon colors. But the latest trend to roll around is the pickleback.

A pickleback is a shot of whiskey chased by a half shot of pickle juice. Odd as it may sound, Marshall Fawley of the blog Scofflaw’s Den describes the combination as amazing, “The brine and the whiskey form to combine this savory-sweet-smoky taste that is hard to explain. Somehow it just works.” He explains that the usual whiskey of choice is Jameson’s though others work well, and a smoky mezcal also makes a worthy substitute.

The drink started as an inside bartender’s drink, which makes it a little more difficult to find. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to duplicate at home. Not to mention you can have a lot of fun experimenting with different brines – say olive juice? But if you do end up looking for it on the town, the Tabard Inn‘s Chantal Tseng does serve them, and her St. Patrick’s Day menu featured a variation with pickled green bean juice.

So in your travels this weekend, if you find any place else that offers a pickleback, let us know in the comments.