Claussen Releases ‘Just the Brine’ Bottled Pickled Juice

After finishing off the last kosher dill in the pickle jar, it’s common for people to simply drain the jar of leftover liquid, give it a rinse, and toss it in the recycling bin. But there are many ingenious uses for that savory, puckery brine — from fried chicken to cocktails. As for the latter, Claussen’s got us covered: The pickle brand is releasing a new bottled product, “Just the Brine,” for a limited time. 

Claussen first hinted at the concept of an all-brine beverage back in October when Grammy Award-winning pop star Dua Lipa went viral for posting a video of herself pouring pickle juice into a Diet Coke and drinking it. The brand shared an image of canned brine on Instagram with the caption, “Hey Dua Lipa, we hear you. One sip is all it takes. Do we dare? 10k likes and we just might make Claussen Dill Pickle Juice a thing.” 

The response far exceeded 10,000 likes — the post now has more than 67,000 likes and numerous comments, including “PLEASE” and “I’m begging you!!! DO IT!!!!” Which, of course, Claussen did. 

“Just the Brine” is in a bottle instead of a can, allowing consumers to reseal the precious nectar between uses. Claussen recommends using the brine as a mixer by night and an electrolyte booster by day, thereby “pickling yourself” and later “unpickling yourself.” 

The eight-ounce bottles will be sold in six-packs via GoPuff in New York, Chicago, and Boston — three cities with “deep Irish heritage and legendary celebrations,” the press release explains. However, anyone outside of those cities can enter to win duo packs of Just the Brine on its website.

As Vice explains in this 2017 article, so-called pickleback shots (a quick swig of brine followed by a shot of vodka) have long been a tradition in Poland and throughout Eastern Europe. While some were horrified by Dua Lipa’s sour soda concoction, our taste buds often gravitate toward salty-sweet combos. Indeed, sweet-and-savory snacks are a top food trend in the marketplace. 

Pickles have remained a top trend in the snack space for the past four years, and Claussen has found several exciting ways to join the hype. Last summer, the brand teamed up with Baked By Melissa to create pickle-infused cupcakes, and the summer before that, it collaborated with Spritz Society on a pickle-flavored sparkling wine cocktail. Claussen has even lent its name and likeness to these lookalike gummy candy pickles, which are thankfully flavored like green apple instead of actual pickles. With Just the Brine, the brand is appealing to pickle enthusiasts by embracing the purest form of the flavor they love.