Hendrick’s Gin and New York City icon Katz’s Delicatessen have announced their first ever collaboration, limited-edition Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumbers. With the offering, the two brands are looking to united cocktail connoisseurs and pickle aficionados through a first-of-its-kind gin half-sour pickle; a delectable fusion of gin botanicals and cucumbers.
The invention draws inspiration from a case of mistaken identity between Hendrick’s key ingredient, the cucumber, and its pickled cousin. What started as an outlandish April Fool’s joke, quickly became a reality, as Hendrick’s Gin and a jar of pickles have more in common than one may have thought. Both Hendrick’s and Katz’s have brought together their unique and secret magisterial recipes to create this unusual medley of botanicals and cucumber, resulting in a new kind of pickle, designed to be enjoyed with pastrami sandwiches and refreshing gin cocktails.
Jake Dell, Owner of Katz’s Delicatessen, and Hendrick’s Master Distiller Ms. Lesley Gracie spent hours concocting and evaluating flavor profiles and mixtures. Connecting virtually from across the pond to compare results, the creators swapped notes and ideas on how to perfect the recipe.
“The signature expression of Hendrick’s Gin is the curious yet marvelous infusion of our eleven botanicals in addition to rose and cucumber,” highlights Gracie. “Naturally, pickles, the cousin of our beloved cucumber, effortlessly blend with our gin’s rich and intricate spirit. The botanicals take on remarkably compatible sensory characteristics when pickled and we’re relishing this opportunity to collaborate on such an exciting endeavor.”
Much like Hendrick’s Gin, the process for creating Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumbers was intricate and detailed, with a two-step brining process taking over 72 hours. Katz’s recipe features whole juniper berries and cubeb berries to best incorporate the botanicals of the gin into its half-sour brine.
“To create this particular pickle concoction, we experimented with a variety of botanicals to marry the unique flavor profiles of Hendrick’s and the Katz’s half-sour pickle. Ultimately, the key to creating the distinct and balanced taste of the pickles was emphasizing coriander in the brine, a common ingredient in Katz’s pickles & Hendrick’s Gin,” says Dell.
“The Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumbers are as perfect of an accompaniment to a Katz’s Pastrami sandwich as an ingredient in our signature Hendrick’s cocktails,” says Vance Henderson, Hendrick’s Gin National Ambassador. “To bathe the palate in taste and wonderment, we were inspired by the light and alluring notes of the pickles to create an unexpected and refreshingly bright take on classic cocktails.”
Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumbers Signature Cocktails:
PICKLED IN PINK
This bubbly blusher has an undercover twang: pickle brine curiously infused with a bouquet of gin botanicals. The sour splash tangles with sweet grapefruit and pink peppercorns in an altogether alluring twist on a classic highball.
- 1 ½ parts Hendrick’s Gin
- ½ part Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber Brine
- ¾ part Pink Citrus Syrup (recipe below)
- 3 parts Premium Club Soda
Method: Combine all ingredients in a highball glass filled with cubed ice, lightly stir.
Garnish: Half of a Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber, Pinch of Dehydrated Grapefruit Peel, Pink Peppercorns.
Pink Citrus Syrup:
- 1 part Grapefruit juice
- ¼ part Lemon juice
- ½ part Granulated Sugar
HENDRICK’S PICKLED SNAPPER
This alluringly aromatic, deviantly delicious version of the Bloody Mary is the kind of cocktail hijinks for
which our Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumbers were born.
- 1 ½ parts Hendrick’s Gin
- 1 part Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber Brine
- 2 ½ parts Quality Bloody Mary Mix (Zing Zang or another premium brand)
Method: Combine all ingredients in a double rocks glass filled with cubed ice, lightly stir and garnish. Garnish: 1 skewered Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber Boat, 1 Lemon Wheel.
HENDRICK’S PERFECT PICKLED MARTINI
No disrespect to vanguards of garnishing, but olives and onions have had more than a century of martini appreciation. Instead, consider a slice of a Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumbers and while you’re at it, a dose of barrel brine for a novel direction for the dirty martini.
- 2 parts Hendrick’s Gin
- 3 Barspoons Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber Brine
- ½ part Dolin Blanc Vermouth
Method: Combine all ingredients in a double rocks glass filled with cubed ice, lightly stir and garnish. Garnish: 1 Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber Slice, Dill Frond, Expressed & Discarded Lemon Twist.
Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumbers will be available for purchase at Katz’s website for $14.95 per quart shipping nationwide for a limited time only beginning September 27. The pickles will also be a special menu item at Katz’s Deli beginning September 27, while supplies last.
Note: the cucumbers continue to pickle while in the jar, so it is recommended that they are consumed within 5-6 days.