Bourbon Sweet Cherry-Soaked Pickles
The Kool-Aid pickle is making a comeback. Are you ready for the hottest thing from the south to come out of the north? Because SuckerPunch is here to turn this slice of pickled Americana into a culinary contender. If you prefer to be left alone, then don't make the recipes below, as our special SuckerPunch Kool-Aid pickles will have any pickle lover begging you for another slice and your in-laws hounding you for this simple recipe.
Before we dive in, here's a little insight as to where Kool-Aid pickles came from, in case you are just hearing about them for the first time right now.
Kool-Aid pickles are a southern tradition, getting their start in the Mississippi Delta. Though they are wildly popular throughout most of the Southern US states, Kool-Aid pickles are not the go-to snack everywhere else. This is the part where we would normally say, "trust us, you HAVE to try Kool-Aid pickles," but we don't feel like we need to.
Bourbon Sweet Cherry-Soaked Pickles
Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus 4 hours, inactive)
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
Makes: 2 x 12 oz cocktails
For the Pickles
2 cups dark cherry juice
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 jar Sweet Spiced Bread & Butter Pickles
Directions
- In a small saucepot, combine the cherry juice and both kinds of sugar.
- Bring to a boil, whisking regularly to dissolve the sugar. Once the liquid is boiling, remove it from the heat and carefully set it aside.
- Grab your pickle jar and drain the brine into a separate container.
- You can keep your brine on hand to make new pickles, add to another dish, or even to make a cocktail. See some of our other recipes for the best ways to use your leftover pickle brine.
- Add the hot cherry syrup to the brineless pickles.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours to maximize the cherry kool-aid flavor.
You can start snacking anytime after four hours, but the longer you let your pickles sit, the more delicious they become. Kool-Aid pickles keep for a total of two weeks (including the first week of sitting in the cherry syrup).
For the Cocktail
Ingredients
6 ounces bourbon or whiskey
3 ounces fernet
6 ounces dark cherry juice
2 ounces dark cherry syrup (taken from the pickle jar)
Soda or seltzer water, to taste, about 8 ounces
10 - 12 Sweet Spiced Bread & Butter Chips
Directions
- Fill two tall glasses with ice.
- In a separate 24 oz container, combine the Bourbon, fernet, dark cherry juice, and syrup.
- Stir well and split between the two glasses.
- Top with a soda water floater and garnish with five pickles on a skewer.
You can have as many pickles as you want on the side of your cocktail, but five is great for a garnish.
Are you looking for an occasion to try this delicious SuckerPunch concoction? This fantastic libation is a lake day favorite, perfect for your Yeti while you walk in the park, and an ideal reward for a long Saturday filled with housework, yard work, and to-do lists. Whatever activities you avail yourself of during the day, the evening is made for snacking on SuckerPunch pickles and sipping on Bourbon-based pickle potables.
We'll leave you with a simple reminder to sip responsibly, snack heartily, and combine the two whenever you possibly can. Check out the SuckerPunch blog for more pickle recipes to snack on.