Yes, you read that right. Gin and Tonic Refrigerator Pickles ~ alcoholic pickles! Beautiful little Persian cucumbers basically pickled in a giant G&T. Gin, (I like Hendrick’s) tonic water, lime, and some juniper berries make a perfectly good pickling solution. What? You don’t believe me? Give it a try!
I can’t pass by small cucumbers without the overwhelming urge to take them home. They’re like a basket of puppies on the sidewalk, I just can’t ignore them. And once I got them home I knew I had to do the right thing and pickle them. But I’ve already posted a basic Refrigerator Pickle, so I figured I’d try to do something a little different this time.
You’ll need to pick up some Juniper Berries for this recipe. You can find them at better grocery stores, or online. Juniper berries are actually not berries at all, they are miniscule cones, from the juniper tree. They have a sort of piney, citrusy, sharp flavor, and while we don’t use them much in the States, they’re used as a spice in Europe. Most of us know them as the main flavor in gin. I love the flavor and the aroma, and it’s a perfect pairing with the pickles.
My husband and I taste tested these over the course of a week, and we got quite fond of them! I envision them alongside grilled burgers, hot dogs, or sandwiches, with or without an accompanying cocktail. It’s a good thing they are so easy to put together, because I can see a few more batches in my future!
If you love pickles like we do, you’ve got to try my Dill Pickle Potato Salad, it’s a huge hit with everybody! And once you’ve got that one under your belt, it’s on to my Dill Pickle and Brat Soup!
Other quick pickle recipes to try ~
Gin & Tonic Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
- 5-7 small Persian or pickling cucumbers
- 1 Tbsp of juniper berries
- 3/4 cup gin
- 3/4 cup tonic water
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 Tbsp Roses lime juice
Instructions
- Wash and trim the stem tips from the cucumbers. Slice them in half lengthwise, and then in half again. Trim them to the length of your jar. You want the spears to fit in the jar and eventually be completely submerged in liquid when you are finished.
- Mix the gin, tonic water, fresh lime juice and the Rose's.
- Lightly crush the juniper berries to release their flavor. Fit the pickle spears into a clean glass jar. Fill the jar but don't pack them in super tightly.
- Add the juniper berries, and then the liquid mixture. Top off with more tonic water if the spears aren't completely submerged.
- Cap the jar tightly and refrigerate. Let the pickles 'pickle' for 2 days before eating.
- The pickles will keep for at least a month in the fridge.
Don’t forget to pin these Gin and Tonic Refrigerator Pickles!
This sounds amazing! I was thinking of pickling some small green tomatoes for Bloody Mary’s but using Vodka.
Interesting, love that!