This Pantry Staple Is a Secret Cocktail Whisperer

I recently found myself in Dubai, my third time in the flashy city, specifically to check out the food scene. While having lunch at Three Bros, I couldn’t help but notice a consistent ingredient throughout the menu: Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It might sound silly; Extra Virgin Olive Oil is in almost everything at every restaurant, from salads to pastas to drizzles on grilled meat. But I’ve never seen a restaurant bring it so front and center as opposed to an obvious afterthought.

What really blew me away, however, was the Limetta Olilo Chardonnay VerjusI mocktail. A martini glass filled with a buttery yellow concoction, with the prime ingredients being Amalfi lemon and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, garnished with an olive was placed in front of me. One sip, and I realized I’ve been missing out on an opportunity: adding Extra Virgin Olive Oil to my cocktails.

The addition of EVOO to a drink requires thoughtful delicacy, and can’t be reduced to simply throwing it in a shaker and calling it a day. To best incorporate Extra Virgin Olive Oil, there are several methods to take: fat-washing the booze of your choice a few days ahead of time, using a frother, or simply adding a few drops to the top of your drink to coat your lips as you sip. Whatever road you take, you’re in for a smooth, complex riff on some of your favorites. Speaking of which, here are some of mine.

If there’s one thing I love more than a martini, it’s cheese. New American eatery Altair in New York takes my two greatest loves and marries them, and for that, I thank thee. You know how some cheeses sit in a salty briny bath? Well, I really hope you’re not tossing that golden liquid, because that salty goodness is a great addition to cocktails. In the case of our Extra Virgin Olive Oil riff on the dirty martini, we’re going to use the saltiest of cheeses: feta. Prep time begins the day before consumption, making it an ideal party prep if you plan to have some friends over.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Purity Vodka fat-washed with EVOO
• 0.5 oz feta cheese brine
• 0.5 oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry vermouth
• 5 drops saline solution (10:1 water to salt)

For the fat-wash method, use 1 oz of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for every 8 oz of Purity Vodka. Pour the EVOO and Purity Vodka into a container of your choice (I like prepping mine in a mason jar), and let sit at room temperature for one hour. You’re then going to freeze overnight so the fat can solidify on top while the alcohol stays liquid. The next morning, it’s time to separate to get to the good stuff. Remove the solid fat layer (you can simply scoop it out with a spoon, as it should pop right off). Take a fine mesh strainer, coffee filter, or cheesecloth, and pour the liquid over to clarify it. Finally, you’re left with a vodka that is silky with a subtle savory note of olive oil.

Now, it’s time to make your Feta Martini. Add 2 oz of your EVOO-washed Purity Vodka, ½ oz of feta cheese brine, ½ oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry vermouth, and 5 drops of saline solution to a shaker filled with ice. Stir your salty, savory concoction until the shaker feels frozen cold to the touch. Strain into a martini glass, and garnish with a feta-stuffed olive. Or three.

A person who orders a vesper is a person who knows how to drink. It’s a timeless cocktail that often gets overlooked, but Capolinea at Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center brings the Vesper front and center with its Capolinea Martini. This modern version of the 1953 drink incorporates the ingredient of the day: Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Good things come to those who wait in the case of the Capolinea, because prep time begins one to two days before consumption to ensure your EVOO is well incorporated into both your vodka and gin. At Capolinea in Atlanta, the Capolinea martini is served tableside from the restaurant’s martini trolley and is poured into liquid nitrogen-chilled glasses at -350 degrees. We don’t expect you to have that kind of equipment at home, so instead, you’ll stir a little longer to recreate the same ice cold effect.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz EVOO-washed McQueen & The Violet Fog Gin
• 1 oz EVOO-washed Holiday Vodka 
• 0.5 oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth
• 0.5 oz Italicus

Method for infusing the gin and vodka:

• In one sealed jar, pour 6 oz of McQueen & The Violet Fog Gin and 1 oz olive oil and shake vigorously. Add rosemary and allow to infuse at room temperature for 10+ hours.
• In another sealed jar, add 6 oz Holiday Vodka and 1 oz olive oil, and repeat the same method of shaking vigorously. The only difference here is after shaking, do not add any herbs. Let sit at room temperature for 10+ hours.
• After 10+ hours are up, remove the rosemary from the gin and put each separate jar into the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
• After 12 hours, remove from the fridge, and remove the solidified fat on top (this should pop right off).
• Strain each respective liquid, separately, with a cheese cloth, coffee strainer, or fine mesh strainer, leaving you with crystal-clear olive oil-infused liquids.

Now that the fun part is over, it’s time to make a drink! Add 1 oz EVOO-washed McQueen & The Violet Fog Gin, 1 oz EVOO-washed Holiday Vodka, .5 oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth, and .5 oz Italicus to a metal shaker filled with large ice cubes. Stir quickly, rotating your bar spoon as you go, for at least one minute. Strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a skewered olive and cocktail onion.

Roughly two years ago, a Lufthansa airline strike led me stranded in my own city of New York thanks to a cancelled flight to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Needing to drown the woes of a European venture that would never be, I headed to the bar. More specifically, to Isla & Co in Midtown Manhattan. The Australian eatery is known for many things, like being one of the only restaurants in New York with Kangaroo on the menu, but what particularly intrigued me was their espresso martini flight. In that martini flight was the Olive Temptation, an espresso martini infused with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The espresso martini is a fairly redundant drink, but the addition of Extra Virgin Olive Oil adds a velvety mouthfeel. With the addition of banana and salted cream, it almost riffs a savory banoffee cocktail, and the replacement of whisky over vodka gives it even more depth.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Australian Whisky
• .25 oz Banana syrup or liqueur
• .5 oz Borghetti espresso liqueur
• .5 oz Salted Cream
• 5-10 drops of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Add Australian Whisky, Banana syrup, and Borghetti espresso liqueur to a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for about 15-20 seconds. Strain into a martini glass. Slowly pour the salted cream on top without letting the espresso martini layer become milky. You can use a spoon to ensure it pours evenly. Finally, using a pipette, meticulously add 5-10 droplets of Extra Virgin Olive Oil around the martini.

Winter might be just around the corner, but in my world, everyday is an Italian summer. And nothing screams la dolce vita more than a spritz, especially one made with some of the boot-legged country’s most beloved ingredients: basil, lemon, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Inspired by The Basil Olive Oil Spritz at The Trading Post Café & Bar at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa in La Jolla, California, I made a few too many of these babies one sunny day by a pool in Upstate New York. While The Trading Post Café & Bar whips out the bells and whistles with basil powder and a basil cordial, we’re going to keep it simpler so this is easier to make at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Fustini’s Lemon EVOO and Basil-infused Dry Vermouth
• 2 oz. Prosecco
• 1 oz. Pellegrino Sparkling Water
• Sprinkling of blitzed basil

Infuse dry vermouth of your choice (I always go for Martini & Rossi extra dry Vermouth) with Fustini’s Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, with a ratio of 6 oz Vermouth to 1 oz EVOO. Add 5-6 Basil leaves, and for an extra lemony kick, zest a lemon into the mix. Pour ingredients into a sealed mason jar and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Transfer to the freezer to let her marinate overnight. The next morning, remove the solids (it’s okay if there are still basil leaves floating), and strain the vermouth through a fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or coffee filter. This removes any droplets of fatty olive oil, zests of lemon, and remnants from the basil, leaving you with a silky, smooth, and lemony basil vermouth.

While that’s straining, take a handful of fresh basil, and blitz in a food processor until its fine in texture. Lay out on parchment paper to let it dry for at least 20 minutes. You can put this in the oven at a low temperature like 200 degrees Fahrenheit, but leaving it out by a window, even with a sprinkle of salt to extract moisture, also does the trick.

In a wine glass filled with ice, add 2 oz. of Prosecco. Top with 1 oz. of your basil and lemon-infused vermouth, and finally, 1 oz. of Pellegrio Sparkling Water. Add a salt bae-style sprinkling of that blitzed basil, garnish with a wheeled lemon, and enjoy your year-round Italian summer in a glass.

Would I even be qualified to write this roundup if for two things: one, had I not been a bartender in New York for ten years, and two: had I not sought the advice of some of the best bartenders in the world? Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City is consistently voted the world’s best bar in the coveted World’s 50 Best Bars list, so I asked them what their favorite Extra Virgin Olive Oil cocktail was. That led me to their Olive Oil Gimlet on their Handshake Pop-up Menu, which is also a fan-favorite on their evergreen menu. Theirs uses green apple, but to make it less time consuming for an easier re-creation at home, I swapped it out for traditional lime. Either way, it’s safe to say this recipe is bartender-approved.

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz 1800 Tequila
• .25 oz Lillet Blanc
• .5 oz lime juice
• 5-10 droplets of EVOO

Add all ingredients except for EVOO into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, and strain into a coup glass. Using a dropper, add 5-10 droplets of Extra Virgin Olive Oil close to the rim of the glass. Garnish with a dried lime right in the center. 

If I had to pick one drink to limit myself to for the rest of my life, it would be a spicy mezcalita. So, this list simply couldn’t be complete without an ode to my death-wish cocktail. In this case, we’re not going to Mexico, but to Spain. We’re swapping lime for lemonade, and we’re swapping jalapenos for pippara juice.

“Adding premium extra virgin olive oil to the lemonade creates a rich, velvety texture that coats the mouth, while the piparra juice provides a subtle, zesty heat,” says Diego Cardenas, the Senior Beverage Manager at Mercato Little Spain in New York City’s Hudson Yards.

Unlike some of the other concoctions on this list, the Donastierra Lemonade one requires little prep time.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz fresh lemonade
• 1.5 oz Mezcal Unión
• .5 oz of Pippara juice
• Drizzle of Family Reserve Picual EVOO by Castillo de Canena

Pour all ingredients except for the Spanish EVOO into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until your metal tin is cold to the touch. Strain over ice into a rocks glass rimmed with tajin or salt. Lightly drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top, and garnish with a dried lemon.

If you want a salad, but you also want a cocktail, I have the perfect solution for you. Like many things in my life, this drink was inspired by some recent travels; this time to the Finger Lakes with my sister. We stayed at The Lake House on Canandaigua for a quick one-night getaway. To be honest, the two of us have been stressed: my dog just died, and she has three kids under the age of five. The solution was martinis in a pool overlooking Canandaigua Lake, where we ditched our cell phones for a lovely 24 hours.

With a last name of Rosati, it’s no surprise why I was attracted to the The Lake House Caprese Martini offered onsite. There’s a garden on property, and the fresh herbs are infused in both the hotel’s cuisine and cocktails. Though we consumed beverages with rosemary and ate dishes with thyme, the addition of basil to the Caprese Martini was a standout for me. I’d later return to an empty house with no furry wagging tail to greet me, but to relive the sweet 24 hours where I let my mind drift from my grief, I made a variation of a caprese martini at home, resembling notes of a bloody mary, since I swapped the olive brine for spicy pepperoncini.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 oz tomato and basil infused Stateside Vodka
• .25 oz EVOO
• .5 oz pepperoncini brine

To infuse the liquor, add a handful of basil, ¼ cup crushed San Marzano tomatoes for every 10 oz of Stateside vodka in a container of your choice. I ended up adding a few good cracks of black pepper to give it more Bloody Mary nods. Place your container in the fridge for 12 hours, and then transfer to the freezer for another 12 hours. I recommend starting this in the morning, so you can put it in the freezer overnight.

Once 12 hours have passed, scoop out whatever solids you can. Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth, fine mesh strainer, or coffee filter. Because of the tomatoes, you might have to do this process twice to ensure a super clean finish.

Once your hard work is complete, congrats! You’ve just made grandma’s sauce in the form of booze. Now, to add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add 2.5 oz of your nonna vodka and .25 oz of Extra Virgin Olive Oil into a pint glass. Use a milk frother and whisk vigorously until the fatty olive oil is properly aerated with the vodka.

Take that concoction and .5 oz of pepperoncini brine and add it into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, and strain into a coup. Skewer a bocconcini ball, a basil leaf, and a cherry tomato for a savory Caprese martini.