Hendrick's, Hendrick's, Pickles and Gin

It started out as a joke, right?

April Fool's Day – just last year, was it? – and the folks who bring the world their superlative Hendrick's Gin, they figured, hey, let's get a little, you know, cute.

NOW LOOK WHAT HAPPEN.

Because Hendrick's Gin is predicated on its delicate cucumber cachet, see? That, and the company's high standards of quality, continue to make their spirits stand out in a world that's pretty much flooded with gins.

"Water, water, everywhere," as Coleridge's Mariner once said, "and an awful lot of gin."

And one of the most prevalent forms of fermented vegetable is the pickled cucumber. In fact, you think pickle, you probably instantly think pickled cucumber – rather than, say, pickled onion or pickled beet or whatever. At least, if you're American or Canadian, you probably do.

And so, some clever-clogs at Hendrick's reckoned it'd be a splendid April First hoot to prank the industry by going, "Hey, we're in the pickle business too, now! Step right up and get your Hendrick's brand pickled cucumbers right here, citizens!" So they sent out press releases, brandished some ads, did the whole thing up all proper.

And – big yucks, right?
Hilarity, as you can guess, ensued.
Good publicity all around.

Except that a lot of people – a lot of people everywhere in the world – were like, "Wait, we can't actually get Hendrick's pickles? Because they don't really exist? WTF, Hendrick's? We want them! We … we demand to have some pickles!"

(You know how people are, right? Especially in these internetted times? Vis-a-vis the likes of, ah, McDonalds Szechuan sauce, and so on? Yeah, like that.)

And smart companies know a good opportunity when they see it.

And so now … we can totally, if we point and click fast enough … we can, for real, get us some delightfully crisp, perfectly pickled cucumbers – pickles! – from Hendrick's Gin.

Well, to be precise: From a collaboration between Hendrick's and NYC's Katz's Delicatessen.

Yes, the master distillers of Hendrick's have teamed up with the fermentation savants of Katz's to develop a new twist on the deli's half-sour pickle recipe, incorporating Hendrick's unique gin botanicals with their traditional brining spices. The result is, they say, "a bright & crispy pickle with hints of juniper and pepper."

Sounds good to us. And we'll be seeking 'em (actual, honest-to-Osiris, official Hendrick's Gin pickles) as fast as you are, friend.

NOTE: These pickles will be available (if the extremely limited supplies last) through National Pickle Day.

BUT: If you want to get in on this crunchy and spirited endeavor, you need to place an order with Katz's by Thu., Nov. 11.

Cheers!