This week everyone on the internet is talking about Dua Lipa. But the chatter isn’t about her headlining set at Austin City Limits last week, or anything Radical Optimism or even music-related. It’s because she’s a f*cking weirdo. Okay, maybe that’s a bit harsh, Dua Lipa is not a f*cking weirdo, everyone just thinks she is because her favorite drink of choice is an unholy concoction of Diet Coke, pickle juice, and jalapeño juice (or as Dua Lipa calls it, “jalapeño sauce,”).
It’s got people on the internet talking, it’s got Gordon Ramsay acting like a big dork (dude’s a chef, you think he could handle this), and it has us wondering — well, what does it taste like?
I mean, don’t get me wrong, it straight up sounds disgusting, but pickle-infused drinks aren’t exactly a new thing. Who amongst us hasn’t been to a bar and been offered a Pickleback, which is a shot of whiskey chased by a shot of pickle brine? Then you’ve got the Pickle Martini and Pickle garnished Palomas. Plus, any drink that calls for olive brine can be subbed with pickle brine. point being — it’s not that weird.
Gordon Ramsay, in his poorly acted taste test of the Dua Lipa drink, exclaimed that drinking the mix would ruin Dua’s vocal cords but… what’s worse for a singer? Diet Coke and some brine, or alcohol? If this is how Dua Lipa has fun, we say let her!
All the commotion has got us intrigued. What does this stuff taste like? Is it really as awful as it sounds or is it the drink of the season? We found out so you don’t have to. Here are our thoughts. But first, let’s talk recipe.
How To Make It
Ingredients:
- Ice
- Diet Coke
- 1 TBSP Pickle Brine
- 1-2 Pickles Chips
- 1 TBSP Jalapeño Brine
- 1-2 Jalapeño Chips
Dua couldn’t be clearer on how to make this drink. Fill up a cup with ice, pour Diet Coke in, add a dash of pickle brine, a dash of jalapeño brine, give it a mix, and garnish with a couple of pickles and jalapeños.
The brands used don’t matter, but in our case, we went with Trader Joe’s branded pickles and jalapeños. Use your favorite! For our drink, we didn’t actually measure out the brine, but from Dua’s video, I’d guess that she pours about a TBSP or a touch more to the drink.
Do not do what Gordon Ramsay did and pour a fourth of a cup of pickle brine into your drink unless you want to ruin it to make dramatic #content.
The Dua Lipa Diet Coke Pickle Whatever-The-F*ck
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
This might come as a shock to the majority of people reading this but, the drink really isn’t that bad. It’s incredibly vegetal and complex and the ingredients actually manage to work harmoniously together.
The earthy vegetal brine of the pickle juice is kept in control by the intense sweetness of the Diet Coke, ensuring that neither ingredient is too off-putting or overwhelming, while the jalapeño adds a spicy top note that hits the back of the throat and lives on the tongue at the finish.
I will say this though: it’s not for everyone. If you don’t like pickles or spicy drinks, you’re never going to like this. But if you’re one of those people who actually likes the taste of brine, give it a try, it’s a lot less strange that drinking it straight from the jar.
Alright, we’re going to need a proper name for this thing. I think “Illusion,” or “Houdini” both work, but my personal favorite is “French Exit.” All three are songs from Radical Optimism, so I think any one of them fits.
The Bottom Line:
LEAVE DUA LIPA ALONE! Honestly, this drink isn’t half bad; it’s interesting, vegetal, spicy, and sweet. Are we rushing to make another one? Probably not, but we’re willing to bet this would appeal to people outside of Dua Lipa’s fandom.
@dualipaofficial What do we call her?