Dirty Martini with Blue Cheese–Stuffed Olives

Name: Dirty Martini with Blue Cheese&ndash;Stuffed Olives
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1 to 10 servings
Cuisine: AMERICAN
Ingredients: 1 piece Danish blue cheese, about 1 1/2 oz. (45 g); Vodka, gin or water, as needed; 1 jar (8 oz./250 g) large pitted green olives; Ice cubes; 2 oz. (60 ml) vodka or gin; 1 oz. (30 ml) olive brine; 1/2 oz. (15 ml) dry vermouth; Blue cheese&ndash;stuffed olives for serving; 2 1/2 cups (20 fl. oz./625 ml) vodka or gin; 1 1/4 cups (10 fl. oz./310 ml) olive brine; 2/3 cup (5 fl. oz./160 ml) dry vermouth; 1/3 cup (3 fl. oz./80 ml) filtered water; Blue cheese&ndash;stuffed olives for serving; Pitted green olives; Olive brine

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When she was a teenager, recipe developer and former private chef Meredith Hayden says “there were few things that I was willing to admit were ‘cool’ about my mother, but her go-to drink order was one of them: ‘Extra-dirty Grey Goose martini with blue cheese–stuffed olives, dirty ice on the side.’ It was, and still is, the epitome of chic.” Meredith’s rendition of her mom’s cocktail is featured in her first book, The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook. You can mix a big batch in advance and let your guests help themselves—a boon when you’re entertaining during the busy holiday season.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Servings 1 to 10

Ingredients

For the blue cheese–stuffed olives:

1 piece Danish blue cheese, about 1 1/2 oz. (45 g)
Vodka, gin or water, as needed
1 jar (8 oz./250 g) large pitted green olives

For 1 cocktail:

Ice cubes
2 oz. (60 ml) vodka or gin
1 oz. (30 ml) olive brine
1/2 oz. (15 ml) dry vermouth
Blue cheese–stuffed olives for serving

For 10 batched cocktails:

2 1/2 cups (20 fl. oz./625 ml) vodka or gin
1 1/4 cups (10 fl. oz./310 ml) olive brine
2/3 cup (5 fl. oz./160 ml) dry vermouth
1/3 cup (3 fl. oz./80 ml) filtered water
Blue cheese–stuffed olives for serving

For the batched dirty ice:

Pitted green olives
Olive brine

Directions

To make the blue cheese–stuffed olives, hand crumble the blue cheese into a small bowl and add a small splash of vodka. Use a fork to mash the cheese into a chunky paste. Transfer to a piping bag or a large plastic zip-top bag with one corner snipped off. Pipe the filling into each olive. The olives can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Prep the glasses: Chill martini glass(es) in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.

To make 1 cocktail, fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the vodka, olive brine and vermouth. Shake vigorously for 60 seconds. The cocktail shaker should be so cold it hurts your hands and the ice should be thoroughly crushed. Strain into the chilled martini glass and garnish with 3 blue cheese–stuffed olives.

Transfer the ice left behind in the shaker—referred to as “dirty ice”—to a rocks glass and serve with a spoon alongside the martini. Spoon some of the dirty ice into your martini to keep it perfectly chilled as you sip. Serves 1.

To make batched cocktails, combine the vodka, olive brine, vermouth and water and chill in the freezer for at least 24 hours before serving.

To make batched “dirty ice,” place 1 pitted olive in each well of an ice cube tray. Cover with 2 parts water and 1 part olive brine. Freeze until solid.

To serve, keep the batched beverage in the freezer or in an ice bucket and encourage guests to serve themselves. Pour into chilled martini glasses (about 3 1/2 oz./105 ml per glass) and finish with a “dirty ice” cube. Garnish each drink with 3 blue cheese–stuffed olives. Serves 10.

Adapted from The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook by Meredith Hayden (Ten Speed Press, 2025)