By Korsha Wilson
For The New York Times
When life gives you lemons, the old saying goes, make lemonade. But when life offers up pickles, too, perhaps it’s time for pickle lemonade.
At least that is what happened in the Popeyes test kitchen as its team created its successful chicken sandwich. Sparingly adorned with barrel-aged pickles, the sandwich left the company’s test kitchen with an abundance of pickles and pickle juice.
“The pickle lemonade started as a lark,” said Amy Alarcon, the chain’s vice president of culinary innovation. But its hydration benefits in a test kitchen weren’t lost on the team, and “it was really good.”
It would take more than five years to perfect the recipe and order enough barrel-aged pickles for a nationwide roll out, but Popeyes began selling an electric-green pickle lemonade made with pickle brine April 1, as part of a special pickle menu that also includes fried pickle chips.
The drink may be a recent addition to the Popeyes menu, but the idea of adding a little pickle brine into a beverage is nothing new. Think of pickleback shots and pickle brine martinis, and even some more notorious options.
Last year, on TikTok, pop star Dua Lipa poured pickle juice and jalapeño juice into Diet Pepsi, spawning countless imitators online.
There was, not long ago, even a pickle lemonade at Disneyland, which divided commenters on Facebook. Some couldn’t wait to get their hands on the drink, while others thought it a bridge too far, even for the casual pickle lover. “I love pickles, but this is gross,” wrote one person below a picture of the light-green beverage, dill pickle spear poking out of the cup. (Disneyland no longer sells the drink.)
Home cooks have been using lemonade’s tart base to explore flavors for centuries. In Brazil, a quick buzz of a blender filled with bright green limes, sweetened condensed milk and ice produces limonada, or a refreshing, sweet limeade with a pleasant thickness thanks to dairy. Nimbu pani, an Indian lemonade made with lemons, salt, mint and cumin, also offers refreshment on hot days.
Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist and the author of “150 Food Science Questions Answered,” said so many cultures have a version of a salty or fermented lemonade because the combination hits so many taste receptors at once. “It’s acid plus salt, plus sweet and adding a fermented element also provides umami,” he said.
In Vietnam, glass jars of salt packed lemons are a common sight in cafes and restaurants, to preserve and ferment before they’re used in nuoc chanh muoi, what Cameron Stauch, author of “Vegetarian Viet Nam,” refers to as “Vietnam’s version of lemonade.”
Le’s mother made nuoc chanh muoi for him after his high school cross-country track meets, using lemons or limes “depending on what was cheapest at the market that week.”
“My mom always swore by it and told me it was ‘our version of Gatorade.’” Medical studies have found that sugar and salt help rehydrate muscle tissue better than water. (Both are found in nuoc chanh muoi, Gatorade and pickle lemonade.)
And pickle lemonade makes perfect sense, especially as the months warm up, Alarcon said. Not only hydrating, the drink offers a surprising flavor wrapped in a comforting taste, she said, adding “sometimes you want a little extra.”
Pickle Lemonade
The tart, tangy flavor of pickles can be found across the food spectrum — from pickle-brined chicken to pickle soup and even pickle brine margaritas, it seems nearly everything is better with brine. It’s no surprise, then, that simple lemonade is improved with the addition of salty pickle brine, too. Balancing out the sweetness of lemonade’s sugar, it lifts the drink and makes it a bit more complex, with an unexpected yet familiar flavor profile. You might not immediately guess the secret ingredient, but it’s a pleasant surprise once revealed. Depending on what brand of pickles is used, adjust the flavors and add more pickle brine as you like; the level of lip-smacking tartness is up to you.
Makes about 5 cups (8 to 10 servings)
INGREDIENTS
7 large organic lemons (see Tip), at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 cups chilled, filtered water
1 to 1 1/4 cups dill pickle juice (see Tip), plus pickle spears for garnish
Ice, for serving
DIRECTIONS
1: Thinly slice 1 lemon, discard the seeds, and set aside for garnish. Roll the remaining lemons firmly against your counter top before juicing them in order to extract as much juice as possible. Quarter the lemons, then squeeze enough of the lemons into a measuring cup to get 1 cup of lemon juice. (A citrus juicer may be helpful here, if you’ve got one.) Add the squeezed lemon peels and any unsqueezed lemon quarters to a large jar, such as an 8-cup Mason jar, a wide pitcher or even a large bowl.
2: Add the sugar to the lemon peel pieces in the jar and, using a wooden spoon or a muddler, muddle together until the sugar has mostly dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
3: Add the lemon juice to the jar, cover and shake vigorously (or stir, if your vessel doesn’t have a lid) to ensure the sugar has fully dissolved. Add the water, then add pickle juice to taste. Shake or stir to mix; then strain using a fine-mesh strainer. (To store, refrigerate up to 3 days.)
4: To serve, pour into glasses over plenty of ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and a pickle spear.
Tips:
Because conventional lemons are often sprayed with pesticides, this recipe calls for organic lemons. If using conventional lemons, be sure to wash the fruit thoroughly. The size and juiciness of lemons can vary; save any leftover lemon for another use.
When choosing pickles for this recipe, look for refrigerated dill-flavored ones like Grillo’s, for brighter flavors. Sweet bread-and-butter pickles, or other pickles that use too much garlic or other seasonings, might overpower the balance of acidity (lemon), sweetness (sugar) and saltiness (pickle brine). Depending on your pickle choice, you may need to adjust the sugar and lemon ratios.
Recipe by Kasia Pilat.
