We Tried Freezing Olives In Ice Cube Trays For The Ultimate Martini Hack

Photo credit: Felicia LaLomia - Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Felicia LaLomia - Hearst Owned

I'll admit, I'm not a big martini fan. Maybe I'm just too young to have acquired the taste James Bond has for them, but they always give a slight dish water flavor.

But I do love a snack in my drink. I'll gladly sip on the ocean water cocktail if it means I can eat a blue cheese olive or pickled pearl onion afterward. So when I saw this, I'll say it, genius hack, on TikTok, I knew it was for me. The video came from Rachel Karten of @milkkarten. She took green olives stuffed with red peppers and froze them inside an olive brine-and-water mixture in a hexagonal ice cube mold. Then she put the olive-filled cubes into a glass and poured a martini over them.

For my version, I also used green olives (sans blue cheese, sadly, but plus red pepper flakes and garlic!) and froze them into squares. I also mixed in some brine so they weren't suspended solely in water. The brine made them come out a little cloudy. I didn't use distilled water, which would help too. But if you rub an ice cube in your hand for a few seconds, the heat will clear up the outer layers a bit.

I put them in a tumbler (no, I don't own a martini glass) and poured a shaken dirty martini. And, honestly, I'm kinda obsessed. It doesn't change the flavor too much. And I loved that I could pop a crunchy ice cube in my mouth and get bursts of delicious salty brininess.

If you're worried about the ice cube watering down your drink, use more olive brine and make the ice cubes small. If after that, you're still concerned about the taste of your martini, then you're probably a purist who stopped reading this when I said I don't own martini glasses.

What excites me about this is all the savory ice cube possibilities. While a martini isn't my drink of choice, think of all the garnishes you could add to other drinks. Of course we've seen floral and fruit ice cubes, but what about bacon ice cubes for a Bloody Mary, pickle ice cubes for a pickleback, or hot sauce and lime juice ice cubes for a Michelada? Now excuse me while I go eat my next drink.

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