Good Hydrations: Pickle Martini

A confession: I love dill pickles. And no, that's not a euphemism. I'm the sort of person who will drink the pickle brine. I'm particularly fond of Claussen pickles.

My adoring sister has the same affliction. When we were young, my parents couldn't keep pickles in the house for more than a couple days. And the brine would sometimes disappear before the pickles.

So once upon a time my sister and I were chatting by the liquor cabinet, mixing up a batch of dirty martinis when we started to talk about just how freakin' awesome the martinis would be if we substituted a pickle spear for the olive. Of course, she was out of pickles so it never materialized.

Not until last week.

I had purchased a jar of pickles for the new pad, and by some cosmic happenstance I also had all the fixings for a martini. I went straight to work.

Sadly, my sister was not around to partake in my concoction, but I captured the above photo with my phone and sent it to her.

A pickle martini is a fine post-run beverage, as the alcohol reduces pain and improves confidence. If you would like to have one, try my recipe.

Ingredients:

• Gin (I used Beefeater)
• Dry Vermouth (Martini Rossi)
• Dill Pickles (Claussen)
• The "I" in R.I.C.E.

Procedure:

1. Load up a martini glass with ice to chill
2. Add ice to a shaker (or mixing glass)
3. Pour 1 Tbsp. of dry vermouth into shaker
4. Mix well to coat the ice and strain
5. Remove ice from serving glass
6. Add 1 jigger of gin, 1 Tbsp. of pickle brine to shaker
   
7. Mix well and pour
8. Add half a pickle spear for garnish and serve

I also recommend giving the pickle a squeeze, as it will provide more flavor to the martini, and it will soak up more of the gin for a nice finish. This is one serving, and all amounts are recommendations. Some will like theirs dirtier, or prefer more vermouth.

Cheers!