# No olives?!? What goes in the Martini, then? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601 "2016-08-03T01:53:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/1 "2016-08-03T01:53:51Z")
I don’t care for lemon peel. If I want boozy lemonade, I’ll make a Tom Collins. No green olives in the fridge tonight. No pickled onions for a Gibson. So I made a big dollop of iced gin with a splash of vermouth and dropped a piparra in the bottom of the glass. That’s a small mild Basque pepper pickled in vinegar. It was EXCELLENT. I may dub it the “Ukulele Ike.” What other pickled things have you put in your Martinis when no olives were available? Or WOULD you? I wouldn’t use a kosher half-sour; it would displace too much gin. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/2 "2016-08-03T01:55:39Z")
I’ve never tried 'em, but my father swears by pickled pearl onions. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/3 "2016-08-03T02:10:30Z")
Best bet is a vodka martini, hold the vermouth and the garnish. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/4 "2016-08-03T02:25:04Z")
Thanks for nothing, buddies. I said “no pickled onions,” and cold vodka in a glass is a drink only fit for a pig of a Krushchev. Unless I have a spread of good caviare and pickled mushrooms. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/5 "2016-08-03T02:34:42Z")
I’ll bet one of those little French cornichons would go well. They’re pretty tiny, too, so they won’t take up too much room. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/6 "2016-08-03T02:36:32Z")
Cold vodka is not a martini, it’s cold vodka is for people who don’t like booze. Try a pickled jalapeño or cherry pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/7 "2016-08-03T02:39:30Z")
Wouldn’t be a problem around here. I’d just run over to the local Walmart (which is open twenty-four hours a day) and buy a jar of olives. This is what you get for choosing to live in a small town that doesn’t offer the conveniences of modern living. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/8 "2016-08-03T03:22:12Z")
No olives?! Where are you, Korea? _Without olives, a martini just doesn’t quite make it_: [MASH The New Chest Cutter - YouTube](https://youtu.be/2lDyDx32YJE#t=2m40s) * * * If you must, this sounds interesting… (but to hell with vodka, I’d make it with gin.) [Garlic Black Pepper Vodka Martini](http://stirandstrain.com/2016/01/23/the-best-vodka-martini/) 2 ounces vodka, Hangar 1 used here\* 1/2 ounce dry vermouth, Vya Extra Dry used here 1 garlic clove, sliced 2 grinds black pepper, on the coarse side In a shaker 2/3 filled with ice, combine vodka, vermouth, garlic slices and black pepper. Shake hard for 20 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Optionally add the garlic slices back to the glass. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/9 "2016-08-03T03:27:09Z")
No vodka. In the absence of an olive, I’d use a [pickled green bean. Or two](http://www.food.com/recipe/pickled-green-beans-dilly-beans-182190). (Also delicious in Bloody Marys!) ---
**Author:** ![TYphoonSignal8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@TYphoonSignal8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TYphoonSignal8)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/10 "2016-08-03T06:16:04Z")
Pickled ginger. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/11 "2016-08-03T06:37:15Z")
Pickled tomato. Or Pickled herring. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/12 "2016-08-03T08:07:29Z")
Never tried it, but for some reason I’m thinking a cube of bleu cheese would work well. ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/13 "2016-08-03T12:19:30Z")
Raw chicken heart just scratched from your bare foot would also be a good alternative. (Might be that we are escalating this to quickly) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/14 "2016-08-03T12:21:28Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I’ve never tried 'em, but my father swears by pickled pearl onions. That’s a Gibson, not a martini. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/15 "2016-08-03T13:29:33Z")
What is the difference between a Gibson and a Martini? Is is just the garnish? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/16 "2016-08-03T14:24:06Z")
Yeah…you can have a Martini with a twist of lemon or a Martini with an olive, but you have to call a Martini with a pickled onion a Gibson. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/17 "2016-08-03T15:06:35Z")
I have a copy of an ultimate martini book around here somewhere. If I can find it I can read off some of the alternative garnishes. One I remember is to use some hot sauce instead of vermouth and garnish with a shrimp. I think this would work better with a vodka martini than most gins. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/18 "2016-08-03T15:28:01Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Cold vodka is not a martini, it’s cold vodka is for people who don’t like booze. Try a pickled jalapeño or cherry pepper. Ya got it, a martini contains gin (default) or vodka, plus a measurable, detectable amount of vermouth. Garnished iced vodka/gin is not a martini. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/19 "2016-08-03T16:11:17Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > One I remember is to use some hot sauce instead of vermouth and garnish with a shrimp. A COOKED shrimp, I hope. At what point does changing the garnish (or the vermouth ingredient) change the name of the drink? There’s an English thing where they put a few dashes of bitters into a glass of gin, but that’s just called a “pink gin.” If you put a whiskey sour into a tall glass, filled it with ice, and topped it with seltzer, you’d have a John Collins, the whiskey alternative to a Tom Collins. But making the same drink with vodka or rum yields a Vodka Collins or a Rum Collins…no proper Christian name given. A Gimlet is a whiskey sour made with gin. A Daiquiri is a Gimlet made with rum. I think I need to go lie down. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/20 "2016-08-04T03:42:07Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > If you put a whiskey sour into a tall glass, filled it with ice, and topped it with seltzer, you’d have a John Collins, the whiskey alternative to a Tom Collins. But making the same drink with vodka or rum yields a Vodka Collins or a Rum Collins…no proper Christian name given. > > A Gimlet is a whiskey sour made with gin. A Daiquiri is a Gimlet made with rum. > > I think I need to go lie down. Y’know, you didn’t have to \*sample \*them all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601.md?page=2)