When I was a kid the best summer treat was a big ‘ol sno cone from Loretta’s Sno Cone Hut-a small aluminum shed that would magically appear in the hottest spot (literally and figuratively) in town, the Wal-Mart parking lot- and stay until the next school year began. I’m ashamed to admit that as a young pickle freak I never even DREAMED of a pickle juice sno cone but I was known to take shaved ice and poke it down into my actual pickle to exaggerate the tartness of my concession stand treat.
Well, maybe I shoulda been born in Texas. There the pickle juice sno cone is a common treat as this pic taken by a friend suggests and is evidence of a people who know how to beat the heat.
Well, the folks in Texas may have ONE up on us in new Orleans, but don’t get TOO cocky yet ya hear?
If you happen to know me personally, you should be well aware of my new obsession with a NOLA treat called the Sno Ball. Don’t call it a Sno CONE, because it’s NOT-it’s much more fine than a sno..ugh..i don’t even want to SAY IT (cone). See, we took the shaved ice all you other people know and love and spun it into something else. Yeah, SNOW. Well, at least one place has and it’s the holy grail of sno ball joints-Hansen’s Sno Bliz-old man Hansen invented his own fine shaving ice machine and the result is unlike anything I’ve ever had. I’d rather eat a sno bliz snoball than any other sweet thing in the whole wide world.
So now let’s put some pickle juice on it!
Actually somebody already has, at another snoball joint called “Droopy’s”-they use sour pickle juice and will even poke a pickle down the middle of your snoball if you ask nicely but they are waayyy out in the ‘burbs and as I don’t have a car, I haven’t ventured out to Droopy’s….but you KNOW I WILL but in the meantime, I’m making friends with the kids at Hansen’s so if (when) I show up there with a jar of pickles they won’t even blink…
>I’m a little in between worlds right now-I’ve officially left Brooklyn and have been drifting South the entire month of September. On the way to Mississippi I made a stop in Asheville, NC and visited the Biltmore Estate-of course they had a Christmas “shoppe” and of course I found these:
Other pickle stops included buying a jar of “Smokey Mountain Baby Dills” from a roadside stand outside of the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Tennessee:
They didn’t taste homemade at all and I suspect they are mass produced to appear “homemade” at roadstands just like these all over the region, but still, I needed a pickle on the road and well, they did the job.
I had better luck once I reached Oxford,MS. My first stop was at my friend Laurie’s restaurant called Tallulah’s Kitchen. She serves a variety of wonderful dishes, but I ordered a container full of FRIED STUFF-her homemade corndog and fried pickles-I’ve been HOMESICK ok, so just lemme have my fried stuff!
Both were amazing. The pickles were nice and thin, just like I like ‘em but they still had a strong pickle-y taste to them. The corndog was simply a religious experience.
Later that same evening, my pilgrimage continued, to the holy places of Oxford, MS; Square Books, Thacker Mountain Radio and of course, my waterin’ hole. When I lived in Oxford it was called The Longshot and it was the place I spent a lot of time with a lot of people, but mostly with my friend Jim. We had a table near the Ms. Pac-Man game and the jukebox that could magically be the social center of the universe or the quietest place in town. Now The Longshot is gone and is a sushi place called Two Stick and it was there last week that I made a new pickle freak pal named PJ.
Upon my arrival in Oxford, my friend Laura Beth presented me with a jar of her homemade spicy pickles and I stuffed them in my purse to try later. Several bars and beers later, I made it to The former Longshot with my pals and I whipped out the pickles and passed the jar around. Once PJ explained that his initials really stand for “pickle juice” I went to the bar, grabbed 2 straws and we sucked down an entire quart of pickle juice much to the horror of everyone else in the place.
It feels great to be back.
>One of my favorite new blogs is called Blackened Out and it’s run by a couple of guys (more?) down in New Orleans. My friend Randy was already a devotee when he showed it to me on our trip down there over New Year’s Eve and now I find myself eagerly reading it daily.
Today I read their latest review of the new John Besh venture The American Sector and I was awestruck by the mention and photo of complimentary house made pickles served in a small mason jar. Do you have ANY idea how thrilling it is to see this and understand why? No, I don’t think you do.
It’s because it’s like they are instructing you to drink the juice. You don’t have to shoot whiskey or drink a pickle martini, just pick up your jar and drink dammit!
You may have also noticed that this article goes into further detail about actual food AND that the restaurant is in the WWII Museum but I didn’t. I stopped at the jar.
I’m no stranger to a pickle cocktail, in fact, if you call slurping pickle juice right out of the jar a “cocktail” then I’m having one right now!
But there are many ways to add a party to your pickle jar or just a pickle to your party.
Above is my standard, the classic Pickle Martini. I prefer McClure’s Spicy Pickle Juice to really dirty up my martini. Since it’s pretty common for me to have a jar on me, I just hand it over to my bartender and let them do the rest. This one was made by the lovely Rebecca at Teddy’s in Williamsburg, which is conveniently located near The Bedford Cheese Shop where I stock up on pickles.
Below is a new discovery-the Cucumber Margarita. Over brunch at Alma, the much adored Mexican restaurant on Columbia Street, the cocktail menu was too enticing to pass up. I went with the Pineapple Vanilla Margarita and Charles had the Cucumber Margarita. It was cool and refreshing just like you’d imagine (and exactly how it LOOKS) but also had a slightly spicy kick due to a dash of homemade habanero sauce.
Is there a full fledged pickle margarita out there somewhere? Perhaps I need to infuse a bottle of tequila with a few spicy McClures and get to it myself! Regardless, there are plenty of ways to make getting pickled more pickled.
Pickle juice is great in martinis and bloody marys and I’ve even been known to “add a dash” of pickle juice to my beer. I find the spicy brine compliments most of the alcohol I’m drinking! So whether its a cocktail (pickle martini, margarita), a shot (The Delta), an eye opener (Bloody Mary), a dash (Wickles juice in your beer!) or just a slurp from the jar, I’m gettin’ pickled one way or the other!
>My sister told me about these sweet pickles that she calls Pickle Candy and I thought I had to give ‘em a try. In her own words they are: “So delicious, and nothing at all like those “sweet” pickles wimpy people talk about. This stuff is ready for the candy store.”
You’ve been warned “wimpy people”.
Start with 2 jars of hamburger dills. I used Del Monte “Zingers”.
Drain the pickle juice of both jars into a container and set aside and put the pickles in a larger container that will have a tight lid
Then pour a 2 pound bag of sugar all over the pickles and shake gently down until it all “settles”
Next slowly begin to pour your reserved pickle juice back into the container of pickles..I thought about skipping this photo but I thought you should be prepared for how it’s going to look…
Finally, take a spoon and stir all the sugar in until it dissolves
Now you’re ready to put the lid on and stash in your fridge. They need to “sit” for at least 2 days (but the longer the better) and you need to flip them upside down whenever you think about. I am terrified that my cheap-o plastic container lid won’t hold and will spill the sticky pickle/sugar sludge all over my refrigerator, so I’m just taking it out and stirring it up with a spoon.
These pickles are also called “Upside Down Pickles” and I’ve seen other recipes for sweet pickles that include using cinnamon sticks and Red Hot Candies! So if we’ve been adding Red Hots to our pickles it just makes sense that soaking them in Koolaid is a good idea too. If anyone out there knows of other sweet pickle recipes I’d love to hear them!
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We call it The Delta shot. Its got bite, color & ingenuity, just like the Mississippi Delta.
It’s a mixture of pepper vodka,pickle juice & jalapeno juice.
& if you want one you should have Tammy make it for you at the Brooklyn Ice House in Red Hook. She’s seen stranger things, believe me.
