Intolerances: Fructose, Gluten, Soy
An afterwork…or anytime drink that is crisp, salty and smooth.

I will choose salty over sweet any day of the week, so there should be no surprise that my drink choice is the same. For as long as I can remember, post 21 of course, my favorite “splurge” drink has been a dirty martini. It is chilled and crisp, just a bit salty, a great drink to sip. Not to mention, there is a delicious garnish to snack on. It seemed like a logical replacement for my wine, something that I had to remove from my cocktail diet when diagnosed with fructose malabsorption. It was hard to give up my wine, but why not make my “splurge” drink my new drink. I am deprived in so many ways of so many things, there is no reason to deprive myself of a delicious drink.

Serve it with:

• Basil Burrata with Zucchini Relish
• Baked French Fries with Mustard Aioli
• Grilled Baguette with Olive Oil Italian Dipping Sauce
• Brie Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce

What you need:

• Cocktail Shaker
• Martini Glass
• Jigger/Shot Glass
• Toothpick/Cocktail Pick
• Ice
• Vodka of choice
• Olives in Brine
• Blue Cheese

The Prep

First thing you want to do is get your martini glass cold. You can either place it in the freezer or fill it with ice.

Next, find your perfect blue cheese. In my opinion, there is no right or wrong blue cheese, as I think that they are all delicious. But, if blue cheese isn’t your jam, you can swap it out with gorgonzola or even feta. I prefer to use the block cheese, rather than the pre-crumbled variety. Make sure that you take it out of the fridge and give it a chance to soften. Next, grab your favorite green olives. Remove the pimento (if it has one) and begin stuffing the olives. I find that it is easiest just to get a little messy and use your fingers for stuffing. You could also use the back of a chopstick or skewer to help get the cheese down into the olive.

The Cocktail

There are only a few ingredients in this drink, but you would never know it. Add your vodka and olive juice (you can play around with the amount of the olive juice, everyone has a different level of dirty) to your cocktail shaker and top with ice. Shake vigorously to get your drink ice cold.

Dump the ice out of the glass or remove it from the freezer. Pour your cocktail into the glass, make sure that you strain the martini as you pour it. Put your olives on the toothpick and add it to your drink. It is time to enjoy.