Making cocktail onions

[catdaddy]

I've been enjoying my martinis lately with onions instead of olives.

Their quality has been uneven at best.

I'm wondering if anyone has had any luck making their own.

Cheers, Ian

[David A. Goldfarb]

I haven't, but that sounds like a great idea. I'm sure one could do better than the stuff in the jar. I just looked at a jar of B&G cocktail onions in the fridge, and they seem to be simply pearl onions pickled with salt and vinegar, and no sugar or spices to speak of. Next time I go to the farmer's market I'll be on the lookout for maybe some local red pearl onions. I think they'd make a good cocktail onion.

I don't know how much people think about pairing cocktails with food, but I like a Gibson with a steak.

Edited February 24, 2010 by David A. Goldfarb (log)

[mkayahara]

There's a recipe for homemade cocktail onions in the January/February 2010 issue of Imbibe magazine. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't vouch for the quality, but it might be worth a look. I love David's idea of pickled red onions; they'd certainly look striking in my next Gibson.

[QbanCrackr]

here is the link to the recipe

http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Homemade-Pickling-Spice

[JAZ]

I made pickled cocktail onions a few years ago, with a combination of red and white onions. Although the red ones looked great going into the brine, most of the color leached out within a few days. They didn't look bad, but I could hardly tell the difference between the red and white. Not to say you shouldn't use them, but don't make a point of tracking them down for this use.

[KatieLoeb]

I've had reasonably good luck with dumping the chemical laden liquid junk out of the jars and replacing it with Noilly Prat dry vermouth. Not the perfect solution, but a step forward nonetheless. I suspect that well poached small Cippolini onions treated in a similar fashion would be a big step up from the commercially available pickled moth balls we're all familiar with...

[mkayahara]

I made pickled cocktail onions a few years ago, with a combination of red and white onions. Although the red ones looked great going into the brine, most of the color leached out within a few days. They didn't look bad, but I could hardly tell the difference between the red and white. Not to say you shouldn't use them, but don't make a point of tracking them down for this use.

Thanks for the tip, Janet. Can I ask what method you were using for them? Was there vinegar in the brine, or were you pickling them naturally? I made natural red carrot pickles a couple of years ago and found the same thing: the brine ended up a lovely dark red, but the carrots ended up orange! Of course, red pearl onions are plentiful in my neck of the woods, so I'll probably give it a try at some point anyway...

[Dave the Cook]

The red in red onions (and based on Matthew's experience, probably in red carrots) is from anthocyanins. These are water- and alcohol-soluble. Acid will help (think of cooking red cabbage with vinegar to keep it from turning purple), but not much. You might try a "dry" method along the lines of this technique, in the hope that the relative scarcity of water and high brine concentration will avert color loss. But since it does create its own brine, dilution of the coloring is probably only a matter of time.

[Chris Amirault]

I made great Tokyo turnip pickles using the Momofuku recipe, and a few of those guys found their way into a Gibson. I'd think that wee onions would also be tasty pickled in that brine.

[crinoidgirl]

Does anybody know if frozen pearl onions can be pickled with success?

[Shalmanese]

The red in red onions (and based on Matthew's experience, probably in red carrots) is from anthocyanins. These are water- and alcohol-soluble. Acid will help (think of cooking red cabbage with vinegar to keep it from turning purple), but not much. You might try a "dry" method along the lines of this technique, in the hope that the relative scarcity of water and high brine concentration will avert color loss. But since it does create its own brine, dilution of the coloring is probably only a matter of time.

If they're not bleached, do the red onions stain the cocktail? If so, is this a desirable or undesirable effect?

One possible way of preserving the color may be to reuse the pickling liquid over a couple of batches, adding extra vinegar & salt to top up until the color stabilizes.

[syoung68]

Does anybody know if frozen pearl onions can be pickled with success?

That is what I was thinking, I can buy a bag of flash frozen PEELED pearl onions and pickle them. I do not see why that would not work.

[Chris Amirault]

Sounds like a good experiment!

[Kohai]

If it's red onions you're after... Could you pickle them in red wine vinegar?

[littlebear]

I think a martini with an onion is technically a gibson. I used to love them because of the onions maybe 15+ years ago but onions have changed and I do have a theory about that. They used to be in a heavy salt brine with absolutely no hint of vinegar. Every good brand I've found over the years (Red Mill, Dell's, Cosmo (?) have changed to a vinegar brine. I can't get them that way any more so I try to make my own. Start with a 32oz jar of Cosmo (from Cash & Carry foods 30th Ave Woodside). Drain and fill with water and a lot of salt. Refrigerate for a day and repeat the process several times till you get no vinegar taste and the right salinity.

[weinoo]

I actually have a jar of "cocktail" onions that are quite tasty - I use them for pinxtos.

The brand is called Rioverde and they're imported from Spain. The ingredients include sugar, vinegar, salt, ascorbic acid and a "colour agent," which is red cabbage extract.

Click.

[mkspriing]

I found a very nice post on that. It's more about stylish onions but anyway, a good picture guide. 12 Days of Edible Gifts: Cocktail Onions

[MixnSip]

Here's an older recipe on Chow that I've used as a base. It takes some effort but they're pretty good. I've tried a myriad of other pickled veg in my martinis - asparagus, mushrooms, green beans, even beets. So far, the beans have been the best.