It’s possible that you just read that first line and you’re already tired of hearing about this fad. I mean- the New York Times ruined it in March by writing about it in the magazine. But seriously. Hear us out. You should read this and go out and try one... if you haven’t yet.
I would like to start out with a warning. When trying the pickleback you have to be open to the idea of pickles and whiskey. I know it sounds like a weird and possibly disgusting combination- but open your mind. I’m lucky. I love pickles- I mean- real pickles- not the kind my mom used to put in my lunches or the kind that restaurants put on my veggie burgers. I also enjoy whiskey. I enjoy all kinds of whiskey. I love cheap whiskey- I love Jameson. I’m sure I’d love that $500 a shot bottle your grandfather has hidden in his closet, too. It’s my liquor of choice. But one doesn’t have to be obsessed with either of these components to like the pickleback. But it doesn’t hurt.
I’m trying to think back to my first pickleback (the fact that I can’t remember might hint at the number I’ve consumed in my time). I think it was in May- possibly early June at the Bushwick Country Club on Grand Street. I had just moved here and I was on a quest to find a “home bar”. I had read about the Bushwick Country Club on various blogs and decided to drag Jessica along to experience it. The legend is that BCC is where the pickleback may have originated... At the very least, it was popularized there. Obviously- it’s the perfect place to try one.
So Karl and I were at BCC and the owner, John Roberts, happened to be bartending that afternoon. We were making small talk about picklebacks and trying to summon the courage. He explained how and why it worked. Karl and I had just become members of the Country Club… so why not celebrate it with one of BCC’s signature drinks? So Mr. Roberts set two up for us and explained the steps:
- Hold the pickle juice in whatever hand you favor. This is because you want to be able to move fast after you shoot the whiskey. The whiskey, obviously, goes in the other hand.
- Shoot the whiskey.
- Immediately (and I cannot stress this enough) after you swallow the whiskey shoot the pickle juice. There should be a two second gap- at most- between whiskey and pickle juice.
- Place both glasses on the bar and verbalize the following: “What shot?”
If you do it right you get the warmth, not the burn, of the whiskey. If you have the right kind of whiskey/pickle juice combination the subtle tastes of the whiskey come out. There’s a rumor that the first pickleback was with Jameson- the NYT article kind of covers this. But my theory is that no one in his or her right mind should want to cover the taste of Jameson- so why not just drink well whiskey? My favorite is Old Crow, but I think it all works on some level. In my opinion, the pickleback works best with well whiskeys. Don’t waste your money on expensive, good whiskey- if you want a good whiskey, don’t insult it with pickle juice- drink it straight.
You can now find picklebacks in most bars around Brooklyn (more specifically Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick). We have a few tips and explanations for pickleback consumption after the jump.
