Why It Works
- Soaking the olives and pimento peppers with gin, vermouth, and strips of lemon peel builds a flavorful martini-like brine to incorporate into the dip.
- A combination of cream cheese, crème fraîche, and gorgonzola dolce creates a creamy and assertive base for this dip.
I firmly believe that the dirty martini is the king of cocktails. I love how a well-made dirty martini is briny, assertive, and so dang savory it makes the back of my jaw tingle with every sip. It’s a boozy, savory sensation all its own, and it’s a timeless, classic drink for good reason. In fact, dirty martinis are so beloved by so many, that the cocktail’s signature flavor profile is now popping up in recipes everywhere, even in dips. And while we at Serious Eats are sometimes skeptical of the latest food trend, this dirty martini dip is definitely one we can get behind.
In the dip recipe below, our Birmingham, Alabama–based test kitchen colleague Craig Ruff delivers a cheeky dip that highlights all the right boozy notes of a well-made dirty martini. Buttery, briny Spanish Queens—the classic martini olive—and jarred pimento peppers are soaked in gin and vermouth with lemon peel strips so they take on a botanical, martini-like flavor. Then a portion of the boozy brine is processed with a luscious cream cheese, crème fraîche, and blue cheese base—we prefer gorgonzola dolce for its complex, sweet flavor, but any blue cheese will work. The soaked and drained olive and pimentos are then added to the dip mixture and pulsed until finely chopped and well distributed throughout.
As with a dirty martini, you can customize the brininess of the dip to your liking by adding more or less of the soaking liquid. And if you’d rather skip the alcohol altogether, you can omit the gin and vermouth—you won’t get those floral notes of the alcohol but you’ll still have a delicious olive dip. However you shake up your martini dip, don’t forget to refrigerate the dip for at least an hour before serving. This gives a chance for those punchy martini flavors to marry and for the dip to thicken while chilling in the refrigerator. This vivacious dip is delicious served with crostini or salty wavy potato chips, and it’s also thick enough to work as a spread to liven up your favorite sandwich.
Why It Works
This recipe was developed by Craig Ruff; the headnote was written by Leah Colins.
This Briny, Cheesy Dip Is a Dirty Martini Lover’s Dream
Cook Mode
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2/3 cup (100 g) pitted Spanish Queen olives, drained and quartered lengthwise, plus 5 tablespoons (75 ml) brine from jar, divided
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2 tablespoons (30 g) jarred diced pimentos, drained
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2 (3-inch long; 3 g each) lemon peel strips
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1/4 cup (60 ml) London dry gin
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2 tablespoons (30 ml) dry vermouth
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8 ounces (226 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
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1/2 cup (120 ml) crème fraîche, at room temperature
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3 ounces blue cheese, preferably gorgonzola dolce, crumbled (about 3/4 cup crumbled; see notes)
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1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for garnish
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Pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
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2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
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Crudités, potato chips, and/or crackers, for serving
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In a 2-cup glass jar, place olives, jarred pimento, lemon peel strips, gin, vermouth, and 3 tablespoons olive brine; seal and shake until combined. Refrigerate until flavors meld for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
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Using a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl, strain olive mixture, reserving olives and pimentos in a separate bowl from marinade; discard lemon peels.
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In the bowl of a food processor, place cream cheese, crème fraîche, gorgonzola dolce, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons reserved gin marinade, 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons olive brine and process until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
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Add 1/3 cup of reserved drained olives and pimentos, and pulse until finely chopped and incorporated into cream cheese mixture, 8 to 10 (1-second) pulses.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
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Transfer mixture to a medium serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until flavors meld and dip is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
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Before serving, drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and top with remaining 1/3 cup olives and pimentos. Garnish with black pepper. Serve with crudités, potato chips, or crackers.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Special Equipment
2-cup glass jar with lid, fine-mesh strainer, food processor
Notes
While we prefer to use gorgonzola dolce for its creamier texture and sweeter flavor, any blue cheese will work in this recipe.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The dip can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.