Recently, I was in the alternate Shop-Rite grocery and saw something new--a drink bottle called Pickle Juice. As a lifetime Philadelphia Eagles fan, I immediately thought about the famous 2000 game wherein the Eagles drank pickle juice to combat the heat and ended up beating the tar out of the Dallas Cowboys in Texas. Anyway, I checked out the bottle. And it seemed to be exactly what its name suggested, and not some weird flavor of soda or something. Needless to say, I bought it. Specifically, I got the Pickle Juice from The Pickle Juice Company LLC, out of Texas.
My online research revealed a definitive connection between the product and the game I recalled. Reportedly, the founder, Brandon Brooks, saw that game and heard about the pickle juice gambit. He then was inspired to start marketing a pickle juice beverage, starting the company in 2001. Which is kind of weird to me. First off, if Brooks was a Texan, as the location of his company suggests, it's a bit strange that he was motivated to sell a product similar to the one that beat his (presumed) hometown, favorite team. (I know I would not have done so, being constantly reminded of a disastrous, terrible game, even if the overall idea was sound.) Secondly, and more broadly, my interest in NFL football is quite intense, arguably more than is healthy for my well being and especially my stress levels, but even I have never decided to found a business based on the results of one. Finally, as an Eagles fan, I was further confused because Brandon Brooks is the name of a famous former Philadelphia Eagles player, an offensive guard who played for them from 2016-19 and 2021, including the Super Bowl winning 2017 regular season squad. I know, it's a coincidence, and "Brandon Brooks" isn't the most unique name, but still, it kind of struck me all the same.
As for the company itself, The Pickel Juice Company LLC sells....pickle juice. They recently created a version with chili lime flavor, but otherwise it's just the one product. Kind of. It's actually a misnomer, false advertising. Because the pickle juice sold by The Pickle Juice Company isn't actually pickle juice at all! (Dun Dun Duuuun!) Instead it's the ingredients used to make pickles (i.e., vinegar, spices, etc.) mixed up into a drink, but no cucumbers are ever soaked in them. The company even makes this point a major part of their marketing, as they have a "no pickles were harmed in the making of Pickle Juice" slogan, and have anthropomorphized pickles named Peter and Piper as "pitchvegetables.".
But the bulk of the company's website is dedicated to their claims about how healthy their Pickle Juice is. About how all of the electrolytes help athletes recover after exercise, especially in hot temperatures. They go on to say that theirs is the "only product made that's scientifically proven to stop muscle cramps." Which, in my opinion, is a bit misleading, or even possible false. The website does cite a 2010 BYU study which showed that athletes who imbibed pickle juice recovered better after exercise than those that just drank water. But, what about other sports drinks? I don't think that anyone disputes that consuming electrolytes after exercise is more beneficial than consuming no electrolytes, but WHICH electrolytes? My point is, I think that regular sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade clearly provide electrolytes, and I'm not convinced that Pickle Juice is necessarily superior to them. For the record, Pickle Juice does seem to have more potassium and especially sodium than these other drinks, but then they have at least one B vitamin that Pickle Juice lacks, Vitamin B12. So the question is, which electrolytes are the best for athletes, and what are the best amounts of sodium, potassium, etc.? I may well be wrong, but it seems like further, more detailed studies are needed before we can say that Pickle Juice is definitively better than their competitors and truly the only drink that can prevent muscle cramps.
The Pickle Juice Company, Pickle Juice: Was more clear than I expected--maybe slightly yellowish, but basically it looked like water. It had a distinct vinegar-y odor, though. The taste was... like pickle juice. Maybe not as strong as actual pickle juice from the jar (not that I've drank that much, but what drips off the pickles themselves), but strong enough. So it wasn't pleasant to drink. I guess it does have the electrolytes people need after exercise, especially outdoors in the heat, but I question that many folks enjoy this. Why not just drink Gatorade or Powerade? Or Powerade Zero or the lower calorie/lower sugar types of Gatorade if you're concerned about those things. Because with those, you get arguably (?) the same type of electrolyte benefit, but the drink actually tastes good. You can choose from dozens of flavors, such as grape, lemon lime, orange, fruit punch, etc. So unless you're one of the rare people who likes consuming the liquid in the jar after eating the pickles, why would you drink this? And I should say, I like pickles, both the sour and sweet kinds. I've eaten entire jars of them, plain. And even I think drinking down a lot of salty vinegar is strange, when you have much, much better alternatives.
Finally, I'll end with a bit more detail about the fateful football game I mentioned before. On September 3, 2000, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys opened their seasons in Texas. On a day when the outdoor temperatures were reportedly 109 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 42.7 degrees Celsius), and on the field it was as high as 130 degrees (or about 54.4 degrees Celsius). Anyway, the visiting Eagles blew out their division rivals 41-14. The game is probably best remembered for the Eagles executing a successful onside kick on the opening kickoff, recovered by special teamer Dameane Douglas. Running back Duce Staley rushed 26 times for 201 yards and a touchdown, and caught 4 passes for another 61 yards. Surprisingly, quarterback Donovan McNabb had a lackluster game, completing only 18 of 30 passes for 130 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions, for a passer rating of 51.2. (He did rush 5 times for 29 yards and a touchdown, though.) The Eagles defense played great, holding the Cowboys to only 167 total yards, and sacking them 5 times. Individually, linebacker Jeremiah Trotter returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown, and lineman Hugh Douglas had 2 sacks. And, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that this game somehow prompted a guy to start a beverage company, one which despite my opinions is evidently quite successful. So there's that, too.
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