The Pickle Back: Jameson Irish Whiskey and pickle juice. Could anything so simple be so good?

IT'S NOT ENOUGH that The Breslin, in the ACE hotel, is one of the hottest spaces going right now in Manhattan, now they gotta have one of the hottest off-menu drinks in the city: The Pickle Back (not to be confused with a crap rock band). Though the good folks at The Breslin didn't invent the Jameson Irish Whiskey-Pickle Juice shooter, they certainly have capitalized on its popularity (former Rusty Knot 'tender T.J. Lynch, now at the Breslin, says he thinks he may have pushed the drink on unsuspecting customers more than any other person). Consider it the Dirty Martini or Red Bull-and-Vodka combo of the 2010s (twenty teens?).

In an era of 10-ingredient drinks, the Pickle Back is refreshingly simple, yet no less savory. Pour one shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey. Set on Bar. Pour one shot of pickle juice (yes, the brine pickles sit in). Set on Bar. Patron shoots the whiskey, then the pickle juice.  Roars in pleasure and beats chest (or whatever patrons do).

Though it's not on the menu at the Breslin, you (and everyone else there) will ask for it. NYC cocktail types are already packing their custom brines for the arduous journey to Austin's SXSW -palooza.

Why Jameson? Why not? The smoky-sweet, almost overpowering, whiskey is perfectly cut and spiced by the brine, in much the same way a bourbon and beer shooter works. You're left with a lingering spicy-smoky-sweet mouthfeel where both elements of the drink compliment each other. They way the should. Lynch says friends tell him them their parents and grandparents have made Pickle Back variations with vodka or tequila. "But combining (former Momofuku co-owner) Quino Baca's house-made pickle juice with Jamesons is awesome."

The magic lies in your choice of pickle juice. Hipster bars like The Rusty Knot, The Randolph and Daddy-O are adding signature juices (The Randolph even boasts a Pickle Back menu of sorts featuring a variety of juices), and with a plethora of available boutique picklers in the city (consider running through Brooklyn's McClure's Pickles repertoire if you're making your own), the timing for this drink couldn't be better.

Don't tell Jameson, but the drink works well with other strong spirits. In the interest of research, I painstakingly sampled a few variations (for this embedded experiment, I used Clausson's Hearty Garlic Whole Deli-Style Pickles):

• Ilegal Mezcal Anejo: Epic Win - the smokiness of this fantastic mezcal lingers, while the spices in the brine add depth and cuts what little harshness the spirit owns.
• Bols Genever: Ehhh... while the Genever on its own has a pungent mouthfeel, the pickle juice brings out a not-so-pleasant sweetness. Suggestion? Try a different pickle juice.
• The Kraken Black Spiced Rum: Fail. The rum shot on its own is pleasing enough, stick with this. The brine completely overpowers the rum and you're left feeling as if you simply stuck your head in a pickle barrel and gulped.
• Zwack: Ehhh... Again, the sweet-spicy Zwack is no match for the salt-spicy brine.
• Partida Tequila Reposado: Decent. Without the full body of the mezcal, tequila works well but not magically. Sip your Partida, anyway, party boy.
• Sazerac Rye: Epic Win! The same elements that come into play with Jameson are present in the classic Sazerac Rye, resulting in a beautifully balanced cocktail at the back of your throat and the front of your tongue.

Go forth. Spread the word. The Pickle Back is bringing Shooters back. Oh yeah, and it's perfect drink for St. Patrick's Day.