Pickle Shot Glasses Are The Tangy Way To Toast

With savory cocktails like the classic dirty martini to elaborate tipples inspired by dishes like cacio e pepe trending, there have never been more options for jazzing up your drinks and adding serious flavor. Pickles in particular are a frequent go-to when it comes to imbibing with some bright tang, acidity, and funk. They've made their way into beers, they're a popular garnish for the essential Bloody Mary, and pickle backs have long been a favorite way to combine booze and a sour kick. Building on that pickled momentum but upping the creativity ante is the latest brunch-perfect craze: pickle shot glasses.

It's a snap to create your own pickle shot glass, which is literally what it sounds like — a shot glass carved out of a pickle. First, choose your pickle, as there are many different kinds. You want whole pickles so you can cut into them, and you want a pickle-y pop of sourness, so think dill, full-sour, or half-sour pickles. Cut a pickle in half, slice off a rounded end so each half can stand up, and then, using a smaller blade like a paring knife, remove the core. You'll suddenly have a tiny cup, made entirely of pickle.

Once you have your pickle shot glasses, one of the most quintessential fillers would be a Bloody Mary shot. The pickle's brine and acidity is a dream match for this iconic drink's tomato sweetness, horseradish heat, and hot sauce spice. Simply make a Bloody Mary batch as you normally would for friends or family and fill each pickle cup — but not before you dip the rims in a fun seasoning like chili powder and salt or Tajín. You can riff on this by making the Canadian Bloody Mary, a Caesar, with sweet yet briney Clamato.

You could also take inspiration from dirty martinis, a category that has indeed grown to include the pickle martini. Combine ice cold vodka and dry white vermouth, plus dill pickle juice if you want more pickle — otherwise, the pickle shot glass can provide plenty of that flavor, and it also acts as its own garnish. Pickle margaritas are a bright, funky twist on the citrusy classic, and they're so easy to make with tequila, lime juice, pickle juice, and simple syrup to balance all that acidity. They'd be perfect in the pickle shot glasses, especially with a spicy, salty rim. And of course, while it might be better suited for a nighttime celebration than brunch, you can upgrade your pickle back shot by putting the whiskey right into the pickle glass.