Pickleback

A pickleback is a type of shot wherein a shot of liquor is chased by a shot of pickle brine; the term "pickleback" may also refer only to the shot of pickle brine itself. Alternatively, the shot can be chased by a bite of a pickle (generally, a whole dill pickle). The pickle brine works to neutralize both the taste of the liquor and the burn of the alcohol.^[1]

A pickleback

International spread

The first time the Pickleback shot was created and tested in a bar was in Bethlehem, PA in 2005 at Tally Ho. It was first made by Erin McCarthy, who is a certified mixologist. British visitors returning to the United Kingdom from New York City introduced the recipe to bars in both London (as early as 2011),^[1] and Devon. In 2012, UK bartender Byron Knight created a bottled pickleback using his own homegrown dill pickles and a flavour profile of ginger, mustard seeds, dill, garlic and dark sugar.^[2]

The drink has also spread to Canada,^[3] Shanghai,^[4] Belfast, New Zealand and South Australia.^[5]