Chicago Martini?

[seacrotty]

Has anyone sampled a martini made using olives stuffed with blue cheese instead of pimentos? I ran across one at a sniffy restaurant in downtown San Jose (CA). The food was way too expensive, but I still daydream about that martini. The bartender called it a "Chicago Martini," but I've never found it anyplace else.

Did I mention that it tasted amazing? Messy, but you can do the prep beforehand, and the wow factor is pretty high for entertaining guests.

cameron

[v_wang]

yes! i've had this - it was a big, fat olive stuffed with mild gorgonzola. yummy. resulted in far too many martinis.

[trillium]

I did run into these at quite a few places in Chicago, but they were never called Chicago martinis! My favorite place to have them was at erwin on Halsted.

regards,

trillium

[DaleJ]

My bar, across the street from my office, is the first place that I experienced the blue cheese stuffed olive martini. While I drink them at home with just a twist, the blue cheese ones are pretty good. I, however, never allow them to put two in my drink. Its too much.

[yellow truffle]

Now thats funny, the Chicago Martini. I grew up in Chicago and thought that for a long time Blue Cheese was a common/normal stuffing in olives for martinis. Alas, I was wrong.

I was in the Washington Hotel (overlooking the Mall and the White House) a few years ago for drinks and to smoke some cigars. I ordered a martini. The waitress asked if want olives. I said yes, and can I have blue cheese with it. She stops what she was writing in her pad, looks up at me and asked, you want blue cheese dressing with your martini.

I have been in search of blue cheese stuffed olives in martinis throughout the U.S. and I think only the midwest (read: Chicago) serves such a garnish. Yoshi's Cafe in Chicago also serves wasabi stuffed olives in their martinis. Either way you have, it tastes damn good, IMHO.

I was at a garlic festival one time and they placed garlic in my martini. Let me tell you this no way to have it. So what are some of the more obscure items that you have found in your martini.

[Lan4Dawg]

there is a company, (Santa Barbara Olive Co. I think but not positive) that makes about a gazillion different types of olives & some of the more upscale bars here in Atl carry several different types of olives for martinis inc. those stuffed w/ blue cheese, anchovy, garlic, almonds, hot peppers, &c.

I prefer a twist b/c I think olives make a martini too salty but I did make a batch w/ pickled green cherry tomatoes that was pretty good. I still use a twist but a friend fell in love w/ the idea so we keep pickled green cherry tomatoes around for her benefit.

[beans]

I love blue cheeses. I love olives. I love martinis. But I really hate the unsightly oil slick that forms on the the cocktail's surface from the blue cheese stuffing. If they are offered or available at a restaurant/bar, I usually wisk them out of the glass as quickly as possible or ask for them on the side and nibble as I sip.

How about a "sewage" martini with twists, olives and cocktail onions all chopped up as a sort of martini salad that sits at the bottom? I joke you not, it is a real drink that can be ordered up at the Oak Bar in Boston. It's called the Charles River Martini.

[KatieLoeb]

there is a company, (Santa Barbara Olive Co. I think but not positive) that makes about a gazillion different types of olives & some of the more upscale bars here in Atl carry several different types of olives for martinis inc. those stuffed w/ blue cheese, anchovy, garlic, almonds, hot peppers, &c. 

I prefer a twist b/c I think olives make a martini too salty but I did make a batch w/ pickled green cherry tomatoes that was pretty good.  I still use a twist but a friend fell in love w/ the idea so we keep pickled green cherry tomatoes around for her benefit.

I just received a sampler of various olives from the Santa Barbara Olive Co. because the olives we're using now are the texture of giant moth balls. The Blue Cheese stuffed olives were inedibly gag-inducing salty. Still going to try some of the other ones in the hope of finding a better alternative.

Martini Beach in Cape May, NJ had blue cheese stuffed olives for the martinis. The kitchen would cream some gorgonzola and pipe it in with a pasty bag for the bar. They were damn tasty. Still are...

I was told recently that any jarred olive will be of inferior texture and taste because the jars have to be heated and pasteurized (like any canned good) and that ruins the olives. I want to find some decent "fresh" brined olives for the drinks soon, because the lousy ones are really ruining a good high end cocktail IMHO.

[NeroW]

I love blue-cheese-olive martinis but Katie, I would *hate* to be that sod in the kitchen piping cheese into the olives.

beans: I have had a garbage-tini but asked them to 86 the twists. I do like the combo of olive and onion. You're right though--the oil is unsightly. But I get the feeling you care A LOT more about that kind of cocktail-thing than I do.

Is the blue-cheese-olive truly a Midwestern thing?

Has there been a previous thread on theme martinis? You know: the green ones made of Midori, with golf tees floating in them? Martini bars and such?

Me, I'm vodka. Up. Olive. Repeat.

[drcocktail]

I'm with Katie. I want free range olives.

--Doc.

[Marlene]

I love blue cheeses.  I love olives.  I love martinis.  But I really hate the unsightly oil slick that forms on the the cocktail's surface from the blue cheese stuffing.  If they are offered or available at a restaurant/bar, I usually wisk them out of the glass as quickly as possible or ask for them on the side and nibble as I sip.

How about a "sewage" martini with twists, olives and cocktail onions all chopped up as a sort of martini salad that sits at the bottom?  I joke you not, it is a real drink that can be ordered up at the Oak Bar in Boston.  It's called the Charles River Martini. 

Beans, as I was sipping on my martini tonight, it occurs to me you still owe me a martini, (or possibly two or three ). For eG's sake, I actually used an olive tonight as a garnish instead of a twist. but it also occurs to me that putting bleu cheese in a marini really is overkill. I've never tried it, but I can imagine the overpowering taste of the bleu cheese totally killing the pure martini taste somehow

Edited April 2, 2004 by Marlene (log)

[KatieLoeb]

I'm with Katie. I want free range olives. 

--Doc.

I want hormone-free, free-range organic sea salt brined olives, dammit! I won't settle for anything less.

Surely this is a niche neurotic market that some savvy olive marketer has sought to fill, nest ce pas?

[DrinkBoy]

I love blue-cheese-olive martinis but Katie, I would *hate* to be that sod in the kitchen piping cheese into the olives.

I recently ran into a company that is selling a little device that is designed to (apparently) easily stuff pitted olives with just about anything. They call it the "Olive Injector"... peanut butter stuffed olives anyone? :->

http://www.MartiniWare.com

[denise_jer]

My friend at Holiday Club in Chicago made me my first martini with a blue cheese stuffed olive. Love it! You used to be able to get pretty good ones at Whole Foods.

When I first moved to Minnesota, I was reduced to making my own; I couldn't find them at all! But I think once in a while, the Whold Foods here has them. Now I might have to stop on my way home...

[beans]

Beans, as I was sipping on my martini tonight, it occurs to me you still owe me a martini, (or possibly two or three ). For eG's sake, I actually used an olive tonight as a garnish instead of a twist. but it also occurs to me that putting bleu cheese in a marini really is overkill. I've never tried it, but I can imagine the overpowering taste of the bleu cheese totally killing the pure martini taste somehow

You bet I owe you a few my dear!

It is a rather bold and assertive flavour combination. After a third helping from the martini pitcher, it seems to lessen with the warm and fuzzy softening of one's senses as well! Maybe that's why I can chomp down so many cocktail onions when I generally loathe every shape and form of the entire onion family. I love their flavour, but hate their texture! Go figure.