I Tried the New Pickle Spritz To See If It’s Dill-icious
Let me start by saying: I'm a die-hard pickle fan; pickles are my favorite food group. Cornichons? Obsessed. Dill spears? Can't get enough. Hell, I'd even welcome back the sweet gherkins of my youth if they were the last pickle option on earth.
Whenever there's a pickle as a condiment, side, stacker—or honestly, solo snacking option—that's exactly what I reach for and yes, I love a pickleback shot too, in case you were wondering.
So when an email started floating around the Parade office with the subject line: "Fancy a pickle spritz?" I was the first staffer to jump at the opportunity. Why yes, I think I do.
Related: Best Homemade Refrigerator Pickles Recipe
What originally started as an April Fool’s Day joke on Spritz Society's Instagram announcing their latest wine spritzer flavor, pickle, apparently caused such a visceral/viral reaction that their followers started demanding they make the fake news real.
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The sparkling canned cocktail brand posted this message back in April 2022: "???NEW FLAVOR ALERT ??? Sour Pickle is here–made with real sour pickles and sparkling wine! Refreshing with just the right amount of tang—enjoy Sour Pickle straight out of the can or mix it with your favorite spirit for an extra kick. Don’t judge until you’ve tried ??"
The announcement was met with comments like, "But can we for real get this flavor? Kthx" and "I’ll order an unlimited amount plz actually do it."
Well, Spritz Society took their customers' love of pickles seriously and two years later, they teamed up with Claussen Pickles to create a first-of-its-kind pickle-flavored cocktail: Spritz Society Pickle by Claussen.
Courtesy of Spritz Society
Clearly, I had to see what this briny, bubbly, pickle-infused wine spritzer tasted like, but before I get to my review, let's take a look at what's actually inside these cute little green cans.
What's in Spritz Society Pickle by Claussen?
I assumed the ingredient list with start with something like Claussen pickle juice, but it actually reads as follows: White Wine, Sparkling Water, Pure White Vinegar, Cane Sugar, Natural Flavor, Sodium Citrate, Fruit and Vegetable Juices (Color).
Courtesy of Kelli Acciardo
After thinking about it, I guess if the only ingredients were pickle juice, white wine and sparkling water the drink might be a bit bracing, so adding a splash of white vinegar and cane sugar was probably a good idea.
What Does the Pickle Spritz Taste Like?
You definitely pick up on the pickle flavor on the first sip, but it's not overly strong. The briny flavor is balanced by the white wine and seltzer. Now that I know there's white vinegar in here, I definitely tasted that too, but I couldn't quite decide if I was on board with that addition or not. So I took another sip, and then another. My next thought was: This needs to be colder.
Ice cold, in fact. You know how pickles just taste best cold and crispy, straight out of the fridge? It's the same with a can of Spritz Society Pickle. So I threw my extra cans back in the fridge to chill a bit longer before I tried it again.
Once the can was frosty, I took another swig. It was much better, but not in the "I could finish this whole can right now" kind of way. Perhaps it needed a pairing? A hot dog or burger? Maybe a shot of Jameson before, for a pickleback-spritz mashup? It wasn't bad, but I wasn't sure it was good. It was somewhere in between, which got me thinking that maybe I'm not the pickle aficionado I thought I was.
My Final Thoughts
This is a cookout cocktail. You definitely need to drink it with food—pickle-related food—and it needs to be super, super cold. Bury it under all the ice in the cooler, then throw some more on top. It's not meant to be a nightcap after a slice of pizza (that's where I went wrong the first time) and I wouldn't necessarily consider it a porch pounder contender, unlike some of my other favorite canned cocktails.
It was honestly so balanced that I think I would have liked more pickle. Then again, I suppose you could always pour it over ice and garnish it with a pickle spear. Maybe I'll try that next time!
Courtesy of Spritz Society
Where Can You Buy Spritz Society Pickle by Claussen?
Want to try a pickle spritz to see for yourself? For a limited time, you can purchase two four-can packs for $50, on spritzsociety.com while supplies last.