A good pickle is hard to beat. They are great snacks, garnishes and ingredients if you want add a little zip to your daily meal. The good news is you can make these at home with no special equipment. If you have a large bowl, some jars with lids and a refrigerator you can make awesome pickles.
I started with a basic spicy dill pickle recipe and adapted it to make them maple bourbon after trying some pickles at a restaurant in San Francisco. They tasted so good I had to make some myself. The maple and bourbon is fairly mild in this version, and it helps to leave them in the fridge longer than the minimum 10 days to really develop those flavors. If you want the maple and or bourbon to be more pronounced feel free to add a little more. Same goes for the spice level. If you like them really hot, add more red pepper flakes or even some whole dried red chilies. If you want a simpler dill only pickle, try my Dilly Beans brine instead.
Ingredients:
• 2-3 cucumbers cut in half and then into quarters length wise or 10-12 pickling size
cucumbers whole or simply cut in half length wise.
• 1 Carrot cut into ¼ inch “coins”
• 1 Red bell pepper, seeds and top removed, cut into strips
• 1 hot pepper cut, seeds and top removed, cut into strips (optinal)
• 1 ½ cups water
• ½ cup bourbon or whiskey
• ¼ cup real maple syrup
• 1 ¾ cups white vinegar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 head of garlic, broken into cloves with skins removed (about 8 cloves)
• 1 ½ Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp pickling spice
• 1 ½ tsp dill seed
• ½ -1 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust depending on how spicy you want them)
• 4 sprigs of fresh dill weed
Basic Pickling Spices 
Let the flavors meld 
Jar and refrigerate
Directions
- In a large bowl combine the water, whiskey, vinegar, maple syrup and spices.
- Stir well and add the vegetables (make sure the vegetables are covered by the pickling liquid)
- Cover the bowl and let it sit on the counter for two hours
- Remove the vegetables and place them into 2-3 clean mason jars. Make sure you get fairly even amounts of cucumber, pepper and garlic in each jar
- Top off each jar with pickling liquid from the bowl
- Place clean, tight fitting lids on each jar and place them in the refrigerator
- Now the hard part. Let them set in the fridge for at least 10 days, 2 weeks is better.
- After they have time to rest in the fridge, enjoy them as a snack or use them on sandwiches, in recipes, etc.
Notes:
• You can pickle just about any type of vegetables, so feel free to experiment. This recipe makes great dill pickles from cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower – get creative.
My Pampered Chef simple slicer makes prepping vegetables for pickles fast and easy. I love the quick thickness adjuster and the food holder actually stays on the track unlike others I’ve tried. This thing is a work horse.
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My hubby loves pickles! He will be so excited when I make this!
What if I need more liquid to top off jars
Hi Denise. You can mix more of the brine if necessary to top off the jars.
I love these pickles. If he really likes heat you can add one or two dried chili peppers to the brine
How long do they keep after two weeks?
They keep well for 3-4 months in a sealed jar in the refrigerator
These keep for 3 months without any problems in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Are these sour like dill or more sweet like bread and butter?
These are sweeter than dill but not as sweet as bread and butter.
I’m on my 3rd round of making pickles with this recipe! The neighbors are lined up outside waiting for the next batch to be ready… Delicious!!
Word of advice – homemade pickling spice is the way to go. Forget store bought!
Thanks for the awesome recipe 😁
Hi Jeanie – thanks for the comment, sounds like you might have to start a pickle business! I agree, homemade pickling spice is better and cheaper, but I like to keep things simple for those that don’t spend as much time in the kitchen. I like to buy whole spices and make my own but this recipe works well with store bought spices. If you want to turn up the heat, add a few dried red chilli peppers to the jar. I love the extra zing.
What size of jars do you use?
I use the 3 cup /800 ml size Ball jars, but you can use any size jar. Just make sure the brine completely covers the vegetables
Hi. Thanks for this recipe. I don’t see anything in the instructions about boiling the liquid. Do you refrain from boiling the liquid before mixing it?
Hi Austin. This is a refrigerator pickle recipe, so no boiling is required. You could boil and then cool the water before using if you like.
Thanks so much! Excited to make these today.
We let ours age for two weeks before trying them. Finally got to taste them today, and they were so, so delicious! Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe.
Glad you liked the pickles. Waiting the two weeks is the hardest part of the process. The get even better as they age another week or two if they last that long. Thanks for the comment and stopping by the blog.
can you hot bath these and can them>
Hi Tricia – I’d double check the amount of vinegar to water you need for hot bath canning. Want to be sure you have enough acidity to stop any bacterial growth. I’d look for a hot bath pickle recipe and adjust the vinegar if necessary and do everything else the same and you should be good.
Will you share (or direct me to) your homemade pickling spice recipe?