Cinco de Mango 5-hour ENERGY Pickles

How Do I Combine My Love of 5-hour ENERGY® and Pickles?

Have you ever been at home craving both a tasty 5-hour ENERGY® shot and some delicious pickles? Trust me, I’ve been there – You can’t crack open a 5-hour ENERGY® shot while holding a jar of pickles, nor can you eat a pickle while you’re shooting your 5-hour ENERGY® shot. So much wasted time, there has to be an easier way. THERE IS!

Whether you’re an avid pickler or a new pickling enthusiast, have I got the recipe for you. Homemade Spicy Cinco de Mango 5-hour ENERGY® shot brined pickles. Combine that great pickle crunch with the sweet heat of a Cinco de Mango 5-hour ENERGY® shot. It’s so quick and easy it barely takes longer than taking the shot itself (if you open it really, really slowly).

 How Long Do Pickles Last?

Homemade pickles typically last for 3 to 4 weeks when kept in the refrigerator. Around then the pickles will start to lose their crispness, and the brine may cloud over. To get the most shelf life out of your pickles; use a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid and ensure the pickles are submerged in the brine as completely as possible.

It’s recommended that you let the pickles brine for 2 to 3 days to give them a chance to absorb the flavor. Though you may enjoy them sooner if preferred.

Making the Cinco de Mango 5-hour ENERGY® Pickles.

Prep Time: 10 – 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 – 20 minutes

 Ingredients:

           Adjust to the volume of container and size/amount of cucumber(s)

·         2 to 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar depending on taste.

·         2 tablespoons of kosher salt depending on taste.

·         1 to 2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes depending on taste.

·         1 tablespoon of black peppercorns.

·         ¼ tablespoon of yellow mustard seeds.

·         ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar.

·         ¾ cup of white vinegar.

·         ½ cup of water.

·         1 Cinco de Mango 5-hour ENERGY® shot.

·         Your choice of cucumber...

·         (Optional) 1 clove of garlic, chopped.

·         (Optional, for more heat) 1 teaspoon of your preferred hot sauce.

Your cucumber choice may impact how many you need:

My go-to choice is usually one (1) whole English cucumber (crisp, crunchy and a great canvas for flavor) cut into spears or ‘chips’.

Or

A great, low prep, pickle option would be Kirby cucumbers (short, super crunchy, and honestly ready to be pickled as is). The amount will depend on your pickling jar, if you’re keeping them whole vs sliced, and, if sliced, how you slice them.

Or

Another common choice, you shouldn’t knock until you try, would be one (1) whole Garden (Pole) cucumber, what you’ll typically see first at your grocery store, (a little less flavor and crunch, but less expensive/more readily available.) cut into spears or ‘chips’

Instructions:

Wash, peel (if desired), and cut (if desired) cucumber(s).

Place cucumbers into your jar – filling to the neck/top.

Meanwhile, add sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, black peppercorns, yellow mustard seeds, garlic (optional), water, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, and a Cinco de Mango 5-hour ENERGY® shot in a small saucepan over high heat. Whisk occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil / the sugar is dissolved.

Once at a boil, remove the mixture from heat and set aside for 2 to 3 minutes to cool slightly before adding to the cucumbers.

Pour the mixture over the cucumbers, be sure to get as much/all of your aromatics in. Let the jar cool, unsealed, for your desired amount of time – hot/warm pickling liquid will work to pickle the cucumbers faster, so we can “quick pickle” them for a little bit before sealing the jar and placing them into the refrigerator if you choose.

Finally, for best results, allow for 2 to 3 days before enjoying.

 Notes:

- Experiment with different types of cucumbers and cuts/slices to see what you enjoy the most.

- You can tweak the vinegar to water ratio as you see fit, some people enjoy more vinegary pickles than others.

- You can tweak the amount of sugar depending on desired sweetness.

- You can tweak the amount of salt depending on desired saltiness.

- For a less spicy pickle, reduce/eliminate the amount of red pepper flakes.