The Pickle Juice Brand Used In The Original Pickleback Shot

Anyone venturing into the bar scene in the early aughts may be familiar with the pickleback shot. It's performed exactly as its name implies, chasing a shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey with pickle juice. Call it nostalgia, but although this is done with whatever pickle juice is available, some prefer to keep the shot true to the brand that was used when it originated. Like many things in the culinary realm, the lore gets murky, but the general claim is that McClure's Pickles is that brand. This is due to one bar in New York, near the pickle brand's headquarters, that famously claims to be the originator of the shot. However, that recipe technically predates the tale — and that bar — as the drink can be found throughout the world.

The generally accepted legend behind the Pickleback begins at Bushwick Country Club circa 2006. John Roberts, the owner, had recently opened his establishment — around the same time McClure's Pickles started business. The pickle company needed a place to store extra inventory, so they approached Roberts asking to use his basement. After agreeing, Roberts was gifted some personal pickle inventory for the bar as thanks. Fast forward to an opening shift with faithful bartender, Reggie Cunningham, nursing a hangover with a jar of McClure's Pickles. A regular enters, requesting a glass of pickle brine. After some understandable hesitation, the shift bartender abided and insisted on doing a shot pre-pickle juice. Surprised by how smooth and flavorful it was, Cunningham and Roberts made it a house specialty. From there, it gained global notoriety over the years to come.

As there isn't any definitive declaration of the term, it can be agreed that calling the shot a "pickleback" was coined by Reggie Cunningham, as John Roberts told MEL. However, in that same breath, we also have to state that he — and the Bushwick — didn't invent it. Going by the accepted lore, Cunningham was introduced to picklebacks by his (conveniently) unnamed regular.

Additionally, for as long as there have been chasers for alcohol, pickle brine has been consumed, often side by side with liquor. In the states, chasing spirits with pickle brine has been traced back to Texas, and in Mexico, pickle brine commonly chases tequila shots. The Russian zakuski dish – which is best thought of as that country's version of a charcuterie board or tapas — often pairs vodka with pickles, which suggests that such a pairing is hardly a recent innovation.

Regardless of its debatable origins, the science behind the pickle juice and whiskey works. The brine's salt cuts the whiskey's ethanol burn, allowing the drink's sweet, smoky flavors to come forward. In tandem with this, those notes mingle with the saltiness of pickle brine. Depending on the ingredients used in the brine, it can complement the whiskey, especially with flavors of dill, garlic, and tangy mustard. But don't feel limited to just pickle juice or whiskey — a pickleback is just chasing a spirit with pickle brine, after all. Fans of pickle flavors can team it with vodka to allow it to be more dill-forward or pair it with bourbons such as Old Crow, like they did that faithful night in Bushwick Country Club.