The best olives for Martini making are more than just a pretty garnish. They’re big, they’re meaty, they soak up the gin or vodka, and transform into one of life’s great bites—a perfect, briny chaser after a spirited sip. And a lot of the time they’re stuffed with something (blue cheese, garlic, jalapeño, etc). Over the course of three taste tests, we tried 34 different Martini olives to find the best olives for Martinis—including the best blue cheese stuffed olives, spicy olives, feta stuffed olives, and the best olives for Dirty Martini making.
Here’s my Martini olive philosophy: They can’t be tiny (what is this, an airport bar?). They can’t be bland. They can’t be mushy. Bonus points if the brine is good enough to make a really good Dirty Martini—that means it can’t taste old and it can’t be too oily. The best olive brine for Martinis is vibrant and tangy. It’s practically good enough to drink on its own.
There’s nothing more disappointing than finishing a Martini and taking a bite of a mealy, bland olive. Lucky for you, you’ll never have to do that again with this list of the best olives for Martini lovers.
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- Divina Buffalo Blue Olives
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These Martini olives are a flavor-blasted garnish. They are so spicy and zesty, and stuffed with extremely creamy blue cheese. They’re the best olives for Martini drinkers who drink Martinis specifically so they can eat olives. As for the Buffalo flavor, I asked our Buffalo expert, Jordan Myrick, what they thought. “I think it’s great,” they said. “There’s a nice mild Buffalo flavor and the blue cheese is prominent without being overpowering.” Stick with vodka and don’t try to use the brine for a Dirty Martini—it’s straight-up oil.
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- Trader Joe’s Spanish Manzanilla Olives with Pimento Paste
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I know I said no small olives, but if you don’t want a honking olive in your drink, then Trader Joe’s manzanilla olives are the best olives for Martinis at your house. That said, they still have some girth. (We’re still talking about Martini olives, I promise.) They’re not dive bar olives. They are also mellower than some of the other brands—more gentle and rounded in their flavor. If you make your Martinis with sherry, these would be perfect, but they’d also be great in a standard Gin Martini made with a softer gin like Plymouth.
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Jeff’s Garden Whole Castelvetrano Olives
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These are the best olives for Martini drinkers who want to recreate that swanky speakeasy experience from the 2010s. While Castelvetrano olives are most often used for charcuterie boards and snacking, their mild, buttery, nutty flavor makes them the best Martini olives for a 50/50 Martini (equal parts gin and dry vermouth) or a Gin Martini made with sherry in place of dry vermouth. Beware: They have pits!
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- Main & Geary Feta Cheese Stuffed Olives
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There’s more than just blue cheese stuffed olives out there for folks who need some fromage in their ‘tini. If blue isn’t your style, these feta stuffed olives from Main & Geary could be the best Martini olives for you. The olives themselves are super firm (I really cannot handle a mushy olive), and the feta cheese is creamy and salty and not overwhelming. And it actually stays in the olives. I don’t want feta floating around in my Martini! These are salty, for sure, but there’s still enough zip and tang in the olive to balance out the cheese.
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- Great Value Jalapeño Stuffed Green Olives
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If you’ve never had a spicy Martini, you’re missing out. A dash of hot sauce or a splash of brine from this jar of jalapeño-stuffed olives transforms a Vodka Martini into a conversation-worthy cocktail. These budget-friendly Walmart-brand spicy olives are stuffed with still-crunchy jalapeño, which offers some heat but not too much. You won’t be overwhelmed with spice, but you will get a ton of peppery flavor. They’re definitely the best Martini olives if you want a bit more zip in your cocktail.
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- Main & Geary Piri Piri Stuffed Olives
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Are you sensitive to spice? Then stop reading right now because even looking at these Martini olives will probably give you heartburn. If jalapeño-stuffed olives are simply too tame for you and your iron mouth, these piri piri stuffed olives are the best olives for Martinis in your house. They pack serious heat along with a peppery flavor. And that heat lasts and lasts. Want a real smack in the mouth? Use the spicy brine to make the best Dirty Martini for true heat-seekers.
Credit: Liv Averett
- California Coast Naturals Pitted Lemon Style Olives
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These extremely aromatic Martini olives are infused with the flavor of lemon zest rather than stuffed with it (if you want lemon-stuffed olives, keep reading). You still get a ton of lemon zest flavor infused into the olives, which are quite sizable as well. They’re truly unique Martini olives, I’ve never had anything quite like them. They’re the best olives for Martinis made with cold, crisp vodka or a botanical-heavy gin.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Armstrong Olives Martini Olives
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If you don’t want to make a Martini but still want to eat a Martini-flavored snack, these are the best Martini olives for you. They’re brined in a mix that includes vermouth, so you get that distinct Martini-soaked olive flavor. Of course, you can also use them in a Martini. If you like your Martinis bone dry, these olives are a great way to add just a hint of vermouth to the mix so you aren’t just drinking a glass of cold, straight gin.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Pearls Specialties Blue Cheese Hand Stuffed Queen Olives
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These are the best blue cheese stuffed olives for Dirty Martini lovers who, much like Christina Aguilera in her 2002 classic with Redman, like it dirrrrty. The brine is flecked with blue cheese, but it’s not too oily. The olives themselves are firm, providing a good foil to the soft blue cheese, which is wonderfully piquant. A Martini made with these blue cheese stuffed olives will punch you in the head with flavor.
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- Lindsay Crafted Martini Lemon Twist Olives
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I am a little bit in love with these Martini olives. Personally, I like both a lemon twist and olives in my Martinis, so it really feels like these lemon-stuffed olives were made for me. They’re very, very tart, but also briny. And the lemon in the olive includes a little bit of rind, which adds some bitter zestiness that is super satisfying. Pair them with a super bright, crispy, citrusy gin or really clean vodka, and go easy on the vermouth.
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- Santa Barbara Olive Co. Anchovy Olives
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If you’ve never had an anchovy-stuffed olive in your Martini and you like a dirty, savory Martini, then you need to buy these ASAP. And if you are amongst the elite Martini drinking crowd and you already make your Martinis with anchovy-stuffed olives, then you need to try this brand. These Martini olives are so delightfully savory—not just salty, like you might think. And they aren’t overly fishy, either. They are pure umami. They’re the best olives for Dirty Martini drinkers who want to take things to the next level—particularly if you make your Dirty Martinis with vodka. They’re some of the best Martini olives around, in fact, I make Martinis just as an excuse to break out a jar of them.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Mezzetta Garlic Stuffed
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I understand that not everyone wants a garlicky Martini, but if you are at all intrigued, I beg you to try these large and in charge garlic-stuffed green olives. They are firm. They are tangy. And the garlic is pickled, zesty, and crunchy. Incredibly, the garlic doesn’t overwhelm the olive flavor (thanks to the pickling). My colleague Gwynedd Stuart loved the textural experience while Jordan flat out said they were the best things they’ve eaten. Period. These are the best Martini olives for both vodka and gin drinkers who want to live a little.
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- Mezzetta Super Colossal Spanish Queen Olives
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The label ain’t lying. These olives are HUGE—about two inches across. So, they certainly check the box of not being too small. In fact, to borrow a turn of phrase from Jaws, you’re going to need a bigger Martini glass. But giant Martini olives aren’t any good if the flavor isn’t there. Well, these deliver on that, too. They have a lovely tang and a buttery finish. I could snack on these olives on their own, but they’re even better when they’re soaked in a mix of vodka or gin and vermouth. They also happen to be widely available. If you want a honker of a delicious, classically pimiento-stuffed olive in your Martini, these are the best olives for Martini making.
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Best Extreme
Best Small
Best Fancy
Best Feta-Stuffed Olives
Best Spicy
Best Really Spicy
Best Lemony
Best Vermouth Soaked
Best Blue Cheese Stuffed
Best Lemon-Stuffed Olives
Best Anchovy-Stuffed
Best Garlic Stuffed
Best of the Best
Other Martini olives we tried: Jeff’s Garden Garlic Stuffed Olives, Santa Barbara Olive Olive Co Garlic Olive, Great Value Blue Cheese Stuffed Green Olives, Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Green Bella di Cerignola Olives, Divina Bloody Mary Olives, Specialty Selected Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives, Main and Geary, Tipsy Pimento Olives, Great Value Pimiento Stuffed Olives Jumbo Queen, Market Pantry, Trader Joe’s Colossal Olives Hand Stuffed with Garlic Cloves, Mezzetta Pitted Italian Castelvetrano Olives, Trader Joe’s Garlic & Jalapeno Stuffed Olives, Tillen Farms by Stonewall Kitchen Lemon Twist Olives in Vermouth, Wildfare Green Olives Stuffed with Orange, Santa Barbara Olive Co. Martini Pimento Olives, Filthy Blue Cheese Olives, Mezzetta Feta Cheese Stuffed Olives, Great Value Stuffed Feta Cheese Green Olives, Main & Geary Martini Olives, Filthy Pickle
I have recently discovered Jack Rudy vermouth infused olives and love them with a bombay sapphire martini so thought I would share 🙂