Serve Painted Pickle’s License to Dill martini at home
The Painted Pickle is so much more than just a place to play pickleball. We love the indoor courts, and friends who don’t play can sit courtside and choose from so many fun items on the menu. A favorite has become the License to Dill cocktail. Will they share the recipe?
— Stephen Oakley, Atlanta
Julian Goglia, beverage director for Painted Hospitality, the operator of Painted Pickle, shared the story about how this signature cocktail was created. “When Painted Hospitality president Justin Amick and I started working with executive chef Tommy Collins on the menu, we kept coming back to the same idea — light, bright dishes and drinks with a touch of acidity,” he wrote.
“I’ve always loved a great martini … and our menu wouldn’t have felt complete without a killer martini in the lineup. License to Dill includes a touch of verjus for bracing acidity, and we finish it with a tart cornichon garnish. I’ve been using verjus as an alternative acid for years, but pairing it with Cocchi Americano has always been my favorite way to work it into cocktails — it’s bright, clean and perfectly balanced here.”
Verjus is the juice of unripe green grapes and is often used in place of vinegar. Edmond Fallot Verjus de Bourgogne is Goglia’s preferred brand and can be purchased online. Bittermens Orchard Street Celery Shrub is available at the Decatur Package Store.
“The celery shrub is inspired by the pickle vendors on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It pays homage to places like Russ & Daughters’ amazing pickles and the bright aromatics that make them so yummy,” Goglia added.
Painted Pickle’s License to Dill
- 1 1/2 ounces London dry gin
- 3/4 ounce Cocchi Americano
- 1/2 ounce vodka
- 1/4 ounce verjus
- 1 dash Bittermens Orchard Street Celery Shrub
- 1 cornichon
- 1 pimento-stuffed green olive
- Combine gin, Cocchi Americano, vodka, verjus and celery shrub in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake briskly, then double-strain into a chilled coupe.
- Arrange cornichon and olive on a cocktail skewer, garnish the glass and serve.
- Makes 1.
Per serving: 153 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, trace fiber, trace total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.
From the menu of … Painted Pickle, 279 Ottley Drive NE, Atlanta. 404-253-1115. paintedpickle.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
