Vodka-Stuffed Olives Are The Boozy Appetizer That Will Impress Your Guests

Since the late 1800s, garnishes have been paired with cocktails to amplify the drinks' aesthetics and enhance flavor profiles. Whether you like sweet, savory, tart, or spicy, there are various ways to dress up a martini. Known for their elegant appearance and boozy punch, I prefer to keep things straightforward and order dirty martinis, which are made with olive brine and usually have a stuffed olive garnish. (Whether the olives are stuffed with pimentos, garlic, or blue cheese, they're all delicious in my book.) But we're not here to talk about how tasty dirty martinis are, we're here to talk about a new appetizer to mix things up at your cocktail party: vodka-stuffed olives.

That's right, this recipe lets you cut out the middle man, and inject liquor straight into your cocktail hour snacks. You'll only need a few ingredients: water, flavorless gelatin, vodka, plain green olives, and some blue cheese. If you're not a fan of stinky cheese, you can skip this ingredient, and the recipe will still work just fine. 

Now that you're eager to make vodka-stuffed olives, there are a few tricks to remember to get the best results. To start, gather your ingredients and mix the gelatin, alcohol, and water in a jug. (You might want to make the gelatin a bit stronger than usual for concentrated flavor.) Put a dab of blue cheese directly inside each pitted olive before you pour the vodka mixture in. Adding blue cheese gives you an extra flavorful, creamy bite and helps to ensure the liquid stays put, so it doesn't run out of the bottom of the olives before they set.

Another decision you'll need to make is how to pour your liquid vodka jelly into the olives. You have a couple of options here: Place the olives in a container facing upward and pour the liquid over the top, or add the liquid to each individual olive using a dropper or a squeeze bottle. If you're not using blue cheese, covering the olives with the gelatin will probably give you the best results. Once you've stuffed your olives, it's time to place them in the fridge to set for at least four hours. Once ready, you'll have mini dirty martini-flavored olives perfect for a night in with friends or a Superbowl party snack.