Don’t pour that pickle juice down the drain. It’s a cocktail darling

By Katie Workman

If you have a cocktail scene in your neck of the woods (and it’s safe to say that I do in NYC), you might have noticed the words “pickle juice” appearing more often on drink menus.

Pickles and pickle brine have been an ingredient that mixologists — and chefs — have played with for a long time, but they’re finally getting a star turn in beverage menus around the world.

Pickle juice is salty, tangy acidic, and sometimes a little spicy. It adds zing to all kinds of cocktails.

“Pickles are a great gateway into savory cocktails,” says Camille Goldstein, managing partner of Muddling Memories, a Brooklyn-based hospitality company that promotes beverages as an experience.

“The sweet-salty brine of a pickle really creates an interesting depth of flavor for your margarita, martini or even a highball.”

A drink called the Pickleback has been popular for years. Said to have originated at a