No. 52Whiskey, Bourbon & Shots
Hot Pickle Shot
Hot brine, cold vodka, one small glass of serious heat.
The Hot Pickle Shot is vodka shaken with spicy pickle brine and a couple of dashes of hot sauce, served in a chili-lime-rimmed shot glass. It is the hottest drink in this section: salty and sour first, then a slow chile burn. Use pepper vodka if you want even more heat.
21+Updated
Brine4/54 of 5
Heat4/54 of 5
StrengthMedium
- Glass
- shot glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Time
- 3 min
- Makes
- 2 shots
Ingredients
Make it for
Units
Amounts for 2, in ounces.
- 1½ oz vodka (or pepper vodka)
- ¾ oz spicy dill pickle brine (from a jar of hot dills)
- 3 dashes hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Valentina)
- 1 tsp chili-lime seasoning (such as Tajín, for the rim)
- 1 lime wedge (for the rim)
- 2 slices jalapeño optional
- Glass
- shot glass
- Rim
- chili-lime
- Garnish
- jalapeño
How to make it
- Run the lime wedge around the rims of two shot glasses.
- Dip the rims in chili-lime seasoning.
- Shake the vodka, spicy brine and hot sauce with ice for about 10 seconds.
- Strain into the shot glasses.
- Perch a jalapeño slice on the rim of each glass.
Bar tips
- Add the hot sauce a dash at a time and taste; you can add more, but you can't take it out.
- Thin, vinegar-based hot sauces blend in cleanly; thick chile pastes cloud the shot.
- Chill the shot glasses in the freezer before rimming so the shots stay icy.
Make it your own
- Use blanco tequila for a peppery, agave-forward version.
- Steep a sliced habanero in the brine overnight if you want it truly hot.
Drink responsibly. This one is for adults of legal drinking age. Want it without the booze? The zero-proof drinks are just as briny.
Full recipe: dillin.org/recipes/hot-pickle-shot
