Blue Cheese Olive Martini Recipe: Classic Savory Cocktail Guide

Sometimes the simplest things are the best things. This martini with blue cheese olives is wonderfully straightforward and delicious.

The salty olives and bold blue cheese pair beautifully with gin and extra dry vermouth. Below I walk through a simple way to make a classic gin martini and elevate it by stuffing green olives with a little blue cheese for a savory, flavorful twist.

Stuffed Blue Cheese Olives and Martinis?

If you love olives and cheese, this cocktail will feel inevitable. For me, olives and cheese often stand in for comfort food: a crusty slice of bread, a wedge of cheese and a handful of olives can make a perfect snack. Turning those flavors into the garnish — and a component — of a martini is a small, brilliant change.

The martini has evolved in popular culture: for a time many ordered vodka martinis or extra-dirty versions. Over the years I moved back to gin, because gin’s botanicals complement briny olives in a way vodka does not. Once I embraced gin, the need to make the drink “extra dirty” faded — the balance between gin and olive is satisfying on its own.

There are other cocktails where olives make sense, such as a Bloody Mary, but if you want a straight-up classic with a small, delicious alteration, this blue cheese-stuffed olive martini is a great choice.

Good Blue Cheese, Good Olives – The Simple Things!

With so few ingredients, quality matters. Start with a small wedge of a flavorful blue cheese from a reputable cheese counter and choose firm green Sicilian or Castelvetrano olives from the olive bar. If you prefer convenience, premade blue cheese olives exist, but stuffing them yourself gives fresher texture and flavor.

To stuff the olives, take a small amount of blue cheese and press it gently into each olive’s cavity. A little break at the opening is fine. I use three olives for one martini and skewer them, but you can simply drop them into the glass to float if you prefer.

Ice Cold Classic Martini

Ice is an essential ingredient for a martini. Chill both the glass and the spirits well — an ice-cold martini is far more satisfying. Fill the martini glass with ice while you prepare the drink so it’s thoroughly chilled when you strain the cocktail in.

To Shake Or Not To Shake A Martini?

I prefer stirred martinis because stirring chills the drink and dilutes it gently without aerating it. If you like the more vigorous texture and slight cloudiness that shaking brings, feel free to shake instead.

Here’s a straightforward method: add one cup of ice to a cocktail shaker, pour in 1/2 ounce extra dry vermouth and 2 1/2 ounces gin, and stir for about 30 seconds. While the mixture chills, remove the ice from the martini glass. Strain the chilled cocktail into the glass, garnish with the blue cheese-stuffed olives and serve immediately.

If you like, put on some Van Morrison and enjoy your martini with a good paper or a favorite playlist. Cheers!

What Food Goes With A Martini?

I like a martini as an aperitif, before dinner. It pairs well with light starters such as stuffed tomatoes with ricotta salata and parsley. If you prefer to enjoy a martini alongside a main course, it complements hearty dishes like a reverse-seared ribeye, braised brisket in red wine (served over gorgonzola polenta), or classic Italian stuffed peppers. When matching flavors, consider using the same cheese for the olives as you include in any accompanying dishes for a pleasing harmony.

Do you have a martini story?

Share your martini memories or variations in the comments. If you enjoyed this blue cheese olive martini, tag your photos with #sipandfeast on social media — it’s fun to see how others prepare and present this simple cocktail.