As you wheeze from your workout, have you ever started thinking “hey, I wonder where McDonald’s keeps its pickle juice, I could use some,” before grabbing a bottle of water? No?
Pickle juice from Mickey D’s (or Macca’s, in New Zealand) might not be an obvious a go to for athletes, but a new partnership between the fast food giant and New Zealand’s Auckland FC is bringing it to game sidelines following a trend among its players.
According to the McDonald’s New Zealand Instagram page the drink is “Not weird. It just works.” It also noted that the small bottle offers “serious relief” and acknowledged that it’s “not your usual game day drink.”
A Wednesday press release said the bottles contain pickle juice leftovers from McDonald’s kitchens in “what is believed to be a global first,” expanding on an existing practice of using pickle juice to treat muscle cramps.
Cleveland Clinic notes that pickle juice contains electrolytes – minerals that help maintain the body’s fluid balance. Sports drinks like Gatorade and illness recovery beverage Pedialyte tout electrolytes as some of their benefits.
“Pickle juice contains electrolytes in the form of a lot of sodium, as well as potassium and magnesium — in higher amounts than a typical sports drink,” Dr. Beth Czerwony told the Cleveland Clinic. “It can help to rehydrate you after an intense workout.”
Per the McDonald’s/Auckland FC press release, sipping pickle juice is a growing trend in elite sports. Simon Kenny, head of communications at McDonald’s New Zealand said that players swigging pickle juice inspired the partnership in the first place.
“We kept spotting players reaching for pickle juice during games and thought, why not lean into it? At the same time, we’ve got plenty of pickle juice in our kitchens,” he said. “This felt like a simple way to connect the two.”
To get the soccer players a supply with the speed of Kylian Mbappé running down a pitch, McDonald’s worked closely with the club’s sports and nutrition team. It’s also helping provide a number of amateur teams across New Zealand with the juice.
“Cramps can come on quickly and stop a player in their tracks. Pickle juice is an option for us when cramps strike, and having it readily available on the sideline just makes sense,” said Bede Christey, lead physiotherapist at Auckland FC.
This partnership came at just the right time, since the team is currently playing in the A League play offs. Already, games have gone into penalty and extra time, making the McDonald’s pickle juice a valuable sideline resource for players with muscle cramps.
