File this under: There’s no accounting for taste.

Some view the “pickleback,” a shot of Jameson chased by a shot of pickle juice, as the end of Western civilization. Or at least the end of their pickle juice supply at the bar.

Respected 8407 chef/owner Pedro Matamoros views the one-two punch to the gut as a cleansing accompaniment to a basket of tots. So he told the Washingtonian, which wanted to know where toques with refined palates go for cheap eats.

Said Matamoros to the Washingtonian:

“I go to the Quarry House Tavern and get tater tots and a drink called a Pickleback—cheap Jameson Irish whiskey and pickle juice. I love it—the pickle juice cleans your palate. And the tater tots, there’s just something comforting about them.”

Photo courtesy of A Continuous Lean via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution License