Filthy Blue Cheese Olives

Filthy Blue Cheese Olives are a cocktail garnish, and they are built for one job: sitting at the bottom of a martini. The name describes the idea. Expect olives stuffed with blue cheese, so each one adds a salty, olive-brine edge and a sharp, creamy, tangy centre. That is a different effect from a plain pimento olive, which mostly adds brine. The jar's exact fill, olive variety and brine recipe aren't listed here, so check the label for those. The classic use is a dry or dirty martini. Stir gin or vodka with a small measure of dry vermouth over plenty of ice until the glass frosts. Strain it into a chilled martini glass or a coupe, and skewer two or three olives on a pick. Gin suits the blue cheese best, because its juniper and botanicals stand up to the funk. Vodka gives a cleaner, more neutral drink in which the olive is the main flavour. If you want the martini dirtier, add a barspoon of brine from the jar, but taste first, because blue cheese olive brine can turn cloudy and run salty. A Gibson-style variation works too: swap the vermouth ratio for something drier and let the olives carry the savoury note. Because the olive adds so much salt, keep the rest of the drink lean and cold. Serve the glass straight from the freezer, or chill it with ice water while you stir. Olives that have been refrigerated also keep the drink colder for longer than room-temperature ones. A Bloody Mary garnish is another good use. The stuffed olive makes a stronger finish than celery or a plain olive, especially next to horseradish and pepper. The olives also work as a snack beside the drink. They go well with cured meats, salted almonds, a firm cheese like aged cheddar, or grilled steak, where the blue cheese echoes a classic steakhouse pairing. Use a small plate or the pick itself rather than dropping them loose into the glass.