Freeze Your Pickle Juice For An Even Better Bloody Mary

Here's to the people who brunch – everybody sip! Bloody Mary fans know the ingredients that take a bloody mary from good to great are numerous, and there's a "bloody good" recipe to satisfy everyone. Whether you start with a store-bought bloody mary mix or get especially into the process with a scratch-made tried and true bloody mary recipe, there's one little secret that you might still be overlooking. Keeping your drink chilled is a must –- especially in the warmer months for outdoor brunching -– but who wants water to dilute and disrupt the wonderful medley of flavors at play? Try freezing your own pickle juice ice cubes for the best way to chill and complement your potable morning beverage. It even works with non-alcoholic bloody mary's too!

It's easy to see how the combination of frozen pickle juice and bloody mary's works so well. For one, the highly acidic content of both the tomato and pickle elements are similar and taste great together. The briny, vinegar flavors from a pickle add a bright splash of tanginess to an already amazing savory beverage and, as an ice cube, becomes an essential ingredient both to cool and infuse even more flavor as it melts. If you're a lover of all things spicy, you can also enhance this punch of flavor with a sprinkle of Tajín along with chopped pickles that you freeze along with a hearty helping of pickle juice for your drink ice cubes.

There are many other fun ways to dress up this frozen addition to infuse the delightful flavors into bloody mary cocktails of all different varieties and compositions. For example, if you're making a kimchi bloody mary, your drinking is practically begging to be chilled with a mixture of pickle juice and kimchi juice ice cubes for that extra bit of fermented flavor. As part of the ultimate seafood bloody mary, a cube of ice-cold briny pickle juice mixed with clam juice is a must. A Canadian-inspired bloody caesar would be beautifully complemented by a nice batch of pickle juice and hot sauce ice cubes to keep it chilled to perfection.

For non-alcoholic versions, simply exclude the spirits and work on spicing up your tomato juice base for an extra-spicy kick, making it the ideal vessel to house your tart pickle juice ice cubes. Adding a splash of lemon juice to this concoction will kick the flavors into high gear while keeping your drink accessible to those who do not drink alcohol. You can even rim your drink glass by soaking it with pickle juice and dipping it in Tajín. Definitely don't skimp on the garnishes, either! However you like your bloody mary, you can be assured that a bold and chilly handful of pickle juice ice cubes will elevate it beyond compare.