Base Brine — Quick Pickle (1:1)

This is the all-purpose vinegar brine — the one to reach for first. Equal parts 5% vinegar and water, lightly salted and lightly sweetened. It is a refrigerated brine, not a canning formula.

Characteristics

What it is	All-purpose 1:1 vinegar quick-pickle brine
Acid	5% vinegar (distilled white or cider)
Salt	~1.5% of brine weight
Sugar	~1.5% of brine weight (optional)
Target jar pH	3.2–3.6 (brine itself)
Best for	Cucumber, onion, carrot, radish, jalapeño, green bean
Storage	Refrigerated 2–4°C / 36–40°F
Shelf life	2–4 weeks (refrigerated)

The formula (ratios)

• 1 part 5% vinegar
• 1 part water
• +1.5% salt (by total brine weight)
• +1.5% sugar (optional, by total brine weight)

Salt and sugar percentages here are of the brine weight, the right convention for a vinegar pickle. (Equilibrium-brine salt-as-percent-of-veg-plus-water belongs to the lacto-ferments — see salt percentage.)

Scaling table

Vinegar and water are 1:1 by volume; salt and sugar are weighed. One jar ≈ 500 mL brine, enough to cover a packed pint.

Component	1 Jar	2 Jars	1 Crock	6 Crock
5% vinegar	250 mL	500 mL	1000 mL	6000 mL
Water	250 mL	500 mL	1000 mL	6000 mL
Salt	8 g	15 g	30 g	180 g
Sugar (optional)	8 g	15 g	30 g	180 g
Brine yield	~500 mL	~1 L	~2 L	~12 L

Tip

Dissolve salt and sugar in the brine before pouring. Cold-pack the vegetables and add cold brine for maximum crunch, or pour the brine just off the boil to flavor faster — see hot-pack vs cold-pack.

Calculated values

• Brine acidity: ~2.5% acetic (5% vinegar diluted 1:1). Bright and balanced.
• Salt: ~1.5% of brine — seasoning level, not preservation level.
• Finished product pH: the brine reads near 3.2–3.6, but the food buffers it upward. Do not assume the jar is below 4.6 without measuring.

Variations

• Sharper: go 2:1 vinegar : water for more bite and a longer fridge life.
• Milder: 1:2 vinegar : water — refrigerator only, never shelf-stable.
• Sweet: push the sugar toward a bread-and-butter brine.
• Spiced: mustard seed, dill, garlic, peppercorn, bay; bloom or tie in cloth.

Caution

This brine is NOT shelf-stable unless canned. As written it is a refrigerated product — keep it cold and eat it within weeks. To put it on the shelf you must use a tested water-bath recipe and confirm the finished equilibrium pH is at or below 4.6 (target 4.2) with a calibrated meter. Use the dedicated formula at base-vinegar-shelf and the pH safety calculator. Never can a brine you diluted past a tested ratio — acidity is the safety. Taste is never a safety test; pH is.

See also

• Quick pickle method and vinegar brine
• Bread-and-butter brine — the sweet variant
• Shelf-stable acidified brine — the canning-safe version
• Salt converter and pH safety calculator