Hendrick’s Gin and New York City icon, Katz’s Delicatessen, are proud to announce their first-ever collaboration for the launch of the limited-edition Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumbers.
Hendrick’s, a most unusual gin, and Katz’s Delicatessen, with over five generations of pickling experience, are uniting cocktail connoisseurs and pickle aficionados through a first-of-its-kind gin half-sour pickle; a delectable fusion of gin botanicals and cucumbers.
The marvelous 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 radically new kind of pickle, designed to be enjoyed with your favorite pastrami sandwich and refreshing gin cocktail.
Jake Dell, Owner of Katz’s Delicatessen, and Hendrick’s Master Distiller Ms. Lesley Gracie spent countless hours concocting and evaluating flavor profiles and mixtures. Connecting virtually from across the pond to compare results, the masterminds 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 unique 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.
Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumbers will be available for purchase at katzsdelicatessen.com for $14.95 per quart shipping nationwide for a limited time only beginning September 27. To sign up for the launch, visit katzsdelicatessen.com/shipping.html to secure a spot on their email list to be notified as soon as they become available and purchase a jar for you and yours. 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.
“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.
Ingredients:
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
Pink Citrus Syrup:
1 part Grapefruit juice
¼ part Lemon juice
½ part Granulated Sugar
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a highball glass filled with cubed ice, lightly stir. Garnish with half of a Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber, pinch of dehydrated grapefruit peel, and pink peppercorns.
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.
Ingredients:
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)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a double rocks glass filled with cubed ice, lightly stir and garnish. Garnish with one skewered Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber Boat, one 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.
Ingredients:
2 parts Hendrick’s Gin
3 Barspoons Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber Brine
½ part Dolin Blanc Vermouth
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a double rocks glass filled with cubed ice, lightly stir and garnish with one Hendrick’s Gin and Katz’s Delicatessen Gin-Inspired Pickled Cucumber Slice, dill frond, expressed & discarded lemon twist.
