Brine Crocktail

Get it? From a fermenting crock!

Again, with the half-empty jars of brine. Or are they half full? Take a sip of this, and tell us what you think.

Use a full flavor brine for this recipe, ideally one left over from fermenting sauerkraut or peppers, even full-sour pickles. Mild, quick pickles like zucchini chips or carrots lack the requisite toothiness.

Fermented Vegetables, by Kristen and Christopher Shockey, is a treasure trove of fermentable inspiration. Here’s just one more recipe from that venerable, dog-eared book. They call it “The Dirty Kraut,” adapted as it is from a dirty martini. Whatever you call it, it is delicious.

Directions

1) Put the vermouth, brine gin, and ice in a a cocktail shaker. We like the Mason Shaker because it works on any size regular mouth canning jar.

2) Shake vigorously until chilled.

3) Strain into a martini glass…or a mason jar.

4) Garnish with fermented vegetable of your choice. (We used mouse melons. Because they are the world's cutest fermented vegetable.)

Cheers! (Please brine responsibly.)

Over to You

It’s part of our mission here at Mountain Feed to help you make delicious, sustainable, homemade food more often. Stop by and say hello on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. Or, as always, you can do it the old fashioned way and come by the store to speak with one of our in-house experts.