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Green fruits are the defining elements of entire generations these days. For millennials, it was the avocado, a pitted piece of produce thrust into the mainstream for both its health-conscious properties and marketing efforts. One millionaire even memorably suggested that those born between 1981 and 1996 needed to stop buying avocado toast so they could afford houses.
For Gen Z, their fruit is the pickle. The new craze suggests a step toward the sapid smack of brine as a metaphor for the generation's bold individualism and nostalgic humor. It's been written about in Vox and discussed on trend-tracking websites , as well.
The pickle pizza, one of the standouts at the 2022 Coastal Carolina Fair in Ladson, Thursday, October 27, 2022. It's only risen in popularity since then. Bars across Charleston, South Carolina are serving up pickle martinis.
Here's where you can get one. Here in Charleston, we've seen the national trend arise as part of the touring Coastal Carolina Fair, where pickle pizza, pickle Dr. Pepper and a pickle sandwich were just a few of the most-popular offerings last fall .
There's even a pickle-themed bar in Summerville, The Pickle Bar, that hosts pickle ball tournaments and features menu items like pickle dip, pickle fries and the "pickle paddle" with house pickles and pickled shrimp on a baguette. The pickle has also emerged in a cocktail order that's gaining traction: The pickle martini. The drink has replaced olive brine with dill brine to create a new powerful and pungent flavor that leans into the salt and the sour.
One downtown hotel bar has seen a steady increase in popularity of the beverage since placing it on their menu last year. At the Veranda Lounge at The Loutrel, bar manager Riley Hurst stirred up the concoction. Pickle martinis at hotel bar The Veranda Lounge at The Loutrel are served up.
"Being from the Midwest, it was a highly trending thing to do," Hurst said. "Down here you didn't see it very often, so I thought, 'Let's do it.' " If you've ever been caught drinking the pickle brine from the jar in the fridge, Hurst said this is "definitely your martini.
" And it's been a hit, especially when paired with the charcuterie board that also features a pickle cluster. "Now it's just kind of the thing; you see pickle martinis all over the place in Charleston," Hurst added. Other establishments that have taken on the trend include The Harlow on James Island, Stems & Skins in Park Circle, Bodega's downtown restaurant, and Jack of Cups on Folly Beach where you can order a pickle martini along with a bowl of pickle soup.
The pickle martini at Jack of Cups is one of the restaurant and bar's top-three cocktails. Ian Condon, the bar and front of house manager at Jack of Cups, said the pickle martini is their top-three cocktail right now, according to sales statistics. The drink made the rotating menu two years ago as a pairing for the already-established pickle soup.
"In my formative drinking days, we always had picklebacks (a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle brine), so the combination of a boozy drink and pickle already made sense," Condon told The Post and Courier. He also joked, "If you want to get down to it, Gen Z can't afford avocados any more, so they might as well adapt to something that lasts forever in the fridge." But in all seriousness, he said there's an overall rising taste for big and bold flavors, especially fermented items like kimchi and black garlic.
Pickles fall into the same category. Another reason the pickle martini might be popular with Gen Z-ers who have hit drinking age is that it doesn't taste as much like alcohol as a traditional martini. "The pickle juice covers the alcohol taste more than a dirty martini does," Hurst offered.
Generation Z is more averse to alcoholic beverages than its predecessors, with Time , USA Today, Newsweek and Forbes all reporting about a 20 percent drop in consumption compared to millennials. For those that do drink, many are looking for alternatives to classic beers, wines and boozier liquors, opting instead for low-alcohol options and unusual flavors. One of Bodega's most popular drinks is the pickle martini.
The pickle flavor certainly captured the taste buds of Gen Z bartender Bella Bradford at Bodega. She said it was one of the drinks on the menu that really drew her to the job in the first place. She thought it was different, and that was cool.
She agrees that the pickle flavor masks the booze a bit. "Pickle is such a strong, amazing flavor. It kind of takes away from all the liquor," Bradford said.
"Everybody loves a drink where you can't taste the liquor." A pickle martini a quirkier and more refreshing alternative to a regular or espresso martini, the latter of which has also seen an explosion in popularity in the last couple of years, she said. The pickle martini's mainstream popularity in the Lowcountry has only increased since The Veranda Lounge featured it as their signature drink on the newly formed Charleston Moonlight Martini Trail .
You can get your passport stamped at six different locations for discounted prices and a chance to win a staycation. The ongoing marketing effort continues up until November, offering ample time for locals to collect their stamps with purchases that include the Fine Brine Pickle Martini at the Veranda Lounge, the Signature Espresso Martini at The Spectator Bar, and the Message in a Bottle at Bar Vaute, among others. The pickle martini at The Loutrel is part of a new initiative, the Moonlight Martini Crawl, which offers stamps at a variety of Charleston locations.
If locals complete the booklet by November, they'll have a chance for a staycation. In the meantime, they'll enjoy discounts on the drinks. Notably, the selection of gin versus vodka can alter the pickle taste, with the former leaning into the herbal while vodka sips more straightforward, letting the punch of pickle truly take over.
We'll be on the lookout for the next green fruit to win over a generation..
