Easily Upgrade Your Martini With Custom Stuffed Olives

If you're a fan of savory, sharp flavors, a martini might be the drink for you. In its most classic form, this cocktail calls only for gin and dry vermouth stirred together (although if you want to order a martini like James Bond, you'll have to ask for it shaken, not stirred). There are plenty of ways to give the drink its own flair and change it up according to your taste preferences, such as swapping out the gin and making a vodka martini or adding a splash of olive brine.

There's another customization you can make with your martini — one of the more unique ways to upgrade your cocktail is to stuff your own olives. Daily Meal spoke with Cody Goldstein, mixologist and founder of Muddling Memories, who provided exclusive insights into why stuffed olives, and personalized ones at that, are the way to create a truly next-level beverage.

"I see mostly pros when stuffing your own olives," Goldstein notes. He explains that doing so prevents the olives' filling from becoming either "overpowering or underwhelming." Unlike store-bought versions, this gives you control over the flavor profile of the garnish and helps you create a truly balanced martini.

When you use store-bought stuffed olives, you're limited to the run-of-the-mill combinations. For instance, you'll often find green olives filled with pimento, garlic, or blue cheese. However, when you make the stuffing yourself, you're in control. If it's cheese you like, Cody Goldstein has a few suggestions: "I like to use triple cream cheeses in my olives, which adds a great richness and creaminess to the bite."

However, that's just one option. Another choice could be to use a sweet, creamy brie or to add a buttery, tangy goat cheese. Feta-stuffed olives are also a popular Mediterranean twist. You can also experiment with different olive varieties when making a martini: Think tangy Kalamata or buttery Castelvetrano. Goldstein gives one suggestion that he enjoys: "Black olives with Boursin cheese is a fun combination as the herbs in the cheese play really nicely with the subtleness of the black olive."

You could choose to move away from cheeses entirely. Bacon adds a smoky, savory flavor to the garnish, while tuna can bring out a dirty martini's briny, umami flavor. Or, add a bit of a kick by filling them with diced jalapeño peppers.

What you put in your olives isn't the only thing that matters when making this martini garnish; how you put them together counts too. For one thing, Cody Goldstein explains that fresh ingredients, and particularly when you're using a cheese filling, are key. "I also want my cheese to be as fresh as possible and not have been sitting so that the olive tastes like an olive and has not been overtaken with the cheese essence," he explains.

Even if it's not cheese you're using, Goldstein says that it's best to add the stuffing as close to serving as possible. When you don't leave the olives sitting, you don't worry about the ingredients melding too much and losing one flavor or another.

Another trick he mentions is to use a piping bag to stuff your olives. This helps you get just the right amount of filling in each bite without creating a smeary mess that flakes off into your drink and upsets the cocktail's balance of flavors. With these tips and tricks, you're ready to try stuffing your own olives to create the perfect, customized martini.