Steakhouse Classic Dirty Martini
A bold, icy, and savory dirty martini that brings the classic steakhouse experience home. Featuring the perfect ratio of premium spirit to dry vermouth and brine, crowned with decadent, hand-stuffed blue cheese olives.
Equipment
- Martini glass or coupe
- Cocktail shaker or mixing glass
- Jigger
- Hawthorne strainer
- Cocktail pick
- Small piping bag or ziplock bag
Ingredients
Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
- 3 whole Large pitted green olives (Queen or Castelvetrano) — drained well
- 1 tablespoon Sharp blue cheese — crumbled and at room temperature
- 0.5 teaspoon Heavy cream or plain cream cheese (optional) — to help bind the blue cheese if it's too crumbly
The Cocktail
- 2.5 ounces Premium Gin or Vodka — London Dry gin or high-quality clean vodka
- 0.5 ounces Dry Vermouth — freshly opened or refrigerated
- 0.5 ounces Olive brine — from the olive jar, adjust slightly based on saltiness preference
- 2 cups Ice cubes — for chilling the drink
Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
| 3 whole | Large pitted green olives (Queen or Castelvetrano) | drained well |
| 1 tablespoon | Sharp blue cheese | crumbled and at room temperature |
| 0.5 teaspoon | Heavy cream or plain cream cheese (opt.) | to help bind the blue cheese if it's too crumbly |
The Cocktail
| 2.5 ounces | Premium Gin or Vodka | London Dry gin or high-quality clean vodka |
| 0.5 ounces | Dry Vermouth | freshly opened or refrigerated |
| 0.5 ounces | Olive brine | from the olive jar, adjust slightly based on saltiness preference |
| 2 cups | Ice cubes | for chilling the drink |
Instructions
-
Place your martini glass in the freezer to chill for at least 10 minutes before making the drink.
A frosty glass is essential for the true steakhouse martini experience. -
In a small bowl, mash the room-temperature blue cheese. If it's too crumbly, mix in a tiny splash of cream or cream cheese until it forms a thick paste. Transfer to a small piping bag (or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off).
~5 minMashing the cheese ensures it's smooth enough to pipe into the olives without breaking them. -
Pipe the blue cheese mixture generously into the cavity of each pitted olive. Thread the three stuffed olives onto a cocktail pick and set aside.
~3 minWipe the outside of the olives with a paper towel after stuffing for a clean presentation. -
Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass with ice. Pour in the gin (or vodka), dry vermouth, and olive brine.
~1 minThe 5:1 ratio of spirit to vermouth provides a dry but balanced profile. The equal part of brine to vermouth creates a perfectly 'dirty' flavor. -
If using vodka, shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosty. If using gin, stir briskly for 30 seconds to chill without bruising the botanicals.
~1 minSteakhouses often shake dirty martinis to get ice shards on top, but stirring is the classic method for gin. -
Strain the cocktail into the chilled martini glass. Lay the pick of blue cheese stuffed olives horizontally across the rim of the glass. Serve immediately.
Double strain through a fine mesh sieve if you want to avoid tiny ice shards.
Tips & Storage
- Always use a high-quality spirit, as it makes up the bulk of the drink.
- Keep your vermouth in the refrigerator after opening. Old, oxidized vermouth will ruin a good martini.
- For an extra 'filthy' martini, increase the olive brine to 0.75 or 1 ounce.
- Stuffing the olives yourself guarantees fresh cheese flavor and prevents the cloudy, slimy texture sometimes found in pre-stuffed jarred olives.
- Storage: This cocktail should be consumed immediately after preparation. Leftover stuffed olives can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.