Tequila and Pickle Juice

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

In Colorado Springs, it’s known as the Sufferin Bastard, or the Sufferin B, served at a bar of the same name. In Seattle, it’s what the barkeeps drink at Georgetown dive Jules Maes. And here in Long Beach, it’s the house special at Poor Richard’s Cocktails, an unnamed tequila-and-pickle-juice concoction that—depending on who’s standing behind the bar—is served either up, with a pickle juice chaser on the side, or combined, shaken and poured, ready to be shot or sipped—your choice. But whatever you call it—and wherever you sip it—tequila mingling with pickle juice is not nearly as odd as it sounds. When partnered as shot and chaser, the pickle juice serves to negate the awful bleeeeeargh that can arise after pouring well-grade (or, for some folks, any grade) tequila down the ol’ hatch. As a mixed shooter, it makes for, well, a more potent punch of pickle juice—basically, a briny sip akin to a dirty martini that leaves your throat warm and delivers but one downside: your taste buds are stumped on the next call (Tecate with lime is likely your best bet). But it’s far from bad—in fact, with some high-quality tequila and homemade pickle juice, you could even ditch the shtick and proudly place a tray of shots next to the chip ‘n’ dip at your next NFL gamewatch. So classy!

POOR RICHARD’S COCKTAILS 6412 STEARNS ST • LONG BEACH 90815 • 562.596.0882

Tags: drinks, Long Beach, pickle juice, poor richard's, tequila