It all started with what’s left at the bottom of the crock, which in large crocks can be a lot of brine. At first we fed it to the pig, but the brine was so delicious and frankly the pig didn’t even like it; so we began to take it to the market to distribute one shot at a time.
We spent so much time joking about slinging back shots that it was only a matter of time before we thought about using brine as a mixer in cocktails. Before the word was even out of our mouths, somebody yelled out, “Crocktails” — of course.
The brine from pickling shredded vegetables is pure vegetable juice. Remember, this liquid is achieved by shredding your vegetables, often cabbage, and through the further breaking down of the cells with salt and pressing. When these concentrated vegetable juices undergo fermentation, they become a rich cloudy elixir containing not only the properties of the vegetable but increased vitamins C and B along with the additional beneficial bacteria (probiotics), enzymes, and minerals produced by the process. Kraut juice is also high in electrolytes. Folk remedies in many cultures have found healing in fermented vegetables and the resulting brine. So, bottoms up!
Our crocktails are all about capturing the golden age of cocktails. Developed with our favorite bartenders, Ursula and Ted Raymond, they are a tasty postmodern twist on retro drinks. Serve them at parties, where they make great conversation starters.
Brine was a precious commodity when we made small batches of kraut, with only a tablespoon or so left over at the bottom of an empty jar, but when our kraut making became commercial, with 10-gallon batches of kraut or kimchi, we were faced with a huge surplus and very little space to store it. It seemed wrong to send it down the drain, so we purchased a couple dozen USA-made shot glasses and took a few bottles of brine to market to see what would happen. People loved it, and it became a mainstay. We happily made a dent in our surplus, 1.5 ounces at a time.
Christopher usually took on the job of bartender and identified four types of shot drinkers.
serves 4 to 6
If you are not ready to drink your brine straight up, this “lemonade” might be a way for you to dip into the brine.
The German word for spray or sprinkle is spritzen, which is where we get the word spritzer, defining a bubbly drink. In many cases this is an alcoholic drink. In Austria when fruit juice is added to soda water, it is g’spritzt!
Choose any brine and pour a few ounces over ice into a tall glass. Fill the glass the rest of the way with soda water.
Play around with this drink. You can use soda water, fruit juice, and a splash of brine to make a healthy probiotic soda that will delight even a brine-adverse sweet tooth.
serves 1
We realize we are treading on unstable ground by messing with the martini and its ritual and protocols and iconic mystique. But the green olive being a lacto-fermented superstar, we feel justified in this expression of the beverage.
serves 1
A dirty martini traditionally uses olive brine in the drink. A similar idea is the Gibson, in which juice from pickled onions is added. In the Dirty Kraut, add your favorite brine. Here, we like Naked Kraut brine and Lemon-Dill Kraut brine; beet brine, not so much.
serves 1
This is a fermented play on the sweet-and-sour cocktail fabled to have originated in Hemingway’s France.
serves 1
This was one of the first American cocktails, showcasing the whiskey and bourbon around at the turn of the twentieth century.
This drink is made by “muddling” (or squishing) the fruit. As a fermentista you will recognize this as tamping. Your kraut tamper will get a chance to moonlight as a muddler.
Combine the relish, simple syrup, and orange wedge in an 8- to 10-ounce glass. Use your muddler to mash the relish and orange into the syrup. Add ice, then pour in the bourbon and vermouth. Stir gently. Top off with soda water, if desired.
This version dilutes the alcohol to make a much lighter drink. Pour the mixture into a 16- or 20-ounce glass, add more ice, and fill with soda water.
serves 1
These are hot and spicy — get ready for a whole-body experience of warmth — and somehow the salt makes it all work.
serves 1
Kimchi brine is a natural fit for a spin on a Bloody Mary. In this drink brine replaces the tomato juice altogether. Since this drink typically has lots of veggies and pickles in the garnish, use lacto-fermented versions as adornments.
We wanted to blend the Russians’ love of the beet with their passion for vodka. It seemed like a natural combination that had to work. We tried and we tried and we tried; the only way to get something drinkable was to add a lot of orange juice and a wee bit of beet brine to the vodka. It just ended up a salty red screwdriver — not fit for brown bread, sour cream, or a Russian winter.
serves 1
In this variation the brine is part of the tomato based mix. This version should also be decorated with fermented veggies as above.
serves 1
This is a way to drink your pickle juice if you are not ready for straight-no-chaser kraut shots — though sort of in reverse, as the pickle juice is the chaser. T. J. Lynch of the Rusty Knot, in Manhattan’s West Village, is credited with originating this drink.
You need two shot glasses. The Jameson leads, followed closely by the brine.