Cocktail innovator Funkin is expanding its award-winning portfolio this month with Funkin Pickle Juice, the first premium, branded pickle juice designed for the on-trade.
Funkin has worked to develop a pickle juice that is “Distressingly Good” giving bars and restaurants a simple solution for the popular pickleback serve that is gaining momentum in the UK.
The pickleback, a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice, is believed to have originated in Brooklyn, N.Y. at the Bushwick Country Club. A combination thought up by bartenders, the pairing of whiskey with the briny, sweet juice from pickled cucumbers quickly became their shot of choice and was nicknamed the ‘bartender’s handshake’. Initially reserved for bartenders only, the pickleback, as it’s now called, quickly became part of the New York bar scene with establishments making their own pickle juice for this new serve.
Now, the pickleback has arrived in London and is seeing the same success. Funkin Pickle Juice makes it easy for bars to maximise on the popularity of the pickleback by offering a consistent, great-tasting liquid that can also be used to create other serves that tap into the savoury cocktail trend. The Funkin Filthy Martini and The Funkin Pickle Mary are the brand’s take on familiar cocktails with a pickle juice twist, extending the drinking occasions where this new product can be utilised.
Funkin CEO Andrew King says: “As innovators in the cocktail industry, we are excited to introduce Funkin Pickle Juice to the UK on-trade. We’ve watched the pickleback trend develop in the U.S. and now we are seeing it being embraced by the trade and consumers in the UK.
“This product provides our customers with a great opportunity to offer a consistent- quality pickleback with speed and accuracy and creatively expand their cocktail menus to capitalise on this savoury trend.”
Funkin Pickle Juice is available in 36cl bottles in the on-trade nationwide. For information on how to order, please visit www.funkinPRO.co.uk or call 0207 328 4440
Recipes:
Funkin Filthy Martini
Ingredients:
50ml Gin
10ml Dry Vermouth
35ml Funkin Pickle Juice
Method: Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Funkin Pickle Mary
Ingredients:
25ml Vodka
25ml Red Wine
50ml Funkin Pickle Juice
15ml Funkin Pure Pour Lemon
5ml Ginger Cordial
1 b/s Dijon Mustard
100ml Tomato Juice
Sea salt, cracked black pepper and a pinch of red chilli
Method: Mix, stir and pour over ice