# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/61 "2016-08-10T15:57:47Z")
> [@MacLir](#): > > Couldn’t **possibly** have to do with the best known brand of vermouth being _Martini_ & Rossi … :smack: The history’s pretty murky, actually. From what I can tell, the big sin of most martini-makers is to leave out the bitters. They’re what make it a cocktail. Tradtionally it was orange bitters, but there are plenty of other kinds out there to try, as very few cocktails are married to one specific type of bitters (the Sazerac is the only one I can think of, actually) ---
**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 10, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/62 "2016-08-10T16:37:56Z")
I really like grapefruit bitters in martinis. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/63 "2016-08-10T17:46:52Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > [These Mezzetta Olives](http://www.mezzetta.com/product/10106616.html) are the ones at my grocery. Love 'em, even without booze. Well, as long as we’re showing our sources. My olive of choice is [this.](http://garlicdude.com/garjalolmamr.html) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/64 "2016-08-10T18:39:05Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Amen. > > [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/20/AR2007032000273.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/20/AR2007032000273.html) Thank\* you\*! ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/65 "2016-08-10T19:24:01Z")
I make tritinis: gin, vermouth and 3 extra-large olives—one stuffed with an almond, one stuffed with blue-cheese and one with a pit (to spit at the bartender, letting him know you need another). Of course, in order to compensate for the displaced gin from 3 extra-large olives you need a \*large \*martini glass—[like this](https://inspiredposters.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/dita-vin-teese-martini.jpg). Of course, you need an _extra_-large glass to compensate for the displaced gin from the woman (who of course is needed to seductively hand-feed you the olives). Once, when I ran out of olives, I used pickled toes. But that was only good for ten drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Matt\_Mason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Major\_Matt\_Mason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Matt_Mason)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/66 "2016-08-11T09:18:08Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > A Gimlet is a whiskey sour made with gin. A Daiquiri is a Gimlet made with rum. And if you stir it with a chopstick, it’s a hickory daiquiri, doc. -MMM- (gag stolen from Spider Robinson) ---
**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 11, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/67 "2016-08-11T12:26:06Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > A Gimlet is a whiskey sour made with gin. I am pretty sure that is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/68 "2016-08-11T14:15:16Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I am pretty sure that is wrong. Indeed. A [gimlet is gin with Rose’s Lime Juice](http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/recipes/a3696/gimlet-drink-recipe/), a bottled lime cordial product (you’ve seen it, I’m sure). A whiskey sour made with gin would be, appropriately enough, a gin sour. > **[David Wondrich on the Sour Cocktail](https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/a15392/sour-cocktail-0912/)** > > The best cocktail you've ever had was probably some version of the sour. The worst cocktail you've ever had probably was, too. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/69 "2016-08-12T00:04:09Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I really like grapefruit bitters in martinis. Me too! And, **madmonk28** , I liked your citation about vermouth. Vermouth and quinquinas are rather unappreciated. Good thing, I guess, as they are still rather cheap. I really enjoy what I call a “reverse martini.” Especially on a hot summer evening. Mostly vermouth with a dash of gin, shaken, served with a garnish or lemon twist. Turns out that’s a thing, and was enjoyed by the likes of Julia Child and Queen Elizabeth. 😉 As for garnish, I prefer a twist, but bleu cheese olives aren’t bad. I’ve used cornichons and also slivers of pickled red pepper when entertaining. ---
**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 12, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/70 "2016-08-12T00:57:10Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I am pretty sure that is wrong. Yeah, I was generalizing. A whiskey sour is lemon juice, sugar, and booze. As **bump** said, a Gimlet should have Rose’s Lime Juice, which is lime juice and sugar in a bottle. If you have no Rose’s, you could make a Gimlet with fresh lime juice and sugar (a gin Daiquiri!), which is probably a superior drink. What I was getting at in my “liquor semantics” post is that all three of these cocktails are “punch.” Without the “weak” part. You know the old mnemonic rhyme…_One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, and four of weak._ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/71 "2016-08-12T02:08:54Z")
How about one of those hard-boiled eggs soaked in beet juice? “We’re gonna need a bigger martini glass.” ---
**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 12, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/72 "2016-08-12T02:36:13Z")
Oh my God, now I want a cold pickled egg. It;s so hot and oppressive in NYC right now, all I want to eat is cold food. See the thread I started on gazpacho. You will make a pitcher of it, and you will revere me like a god. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/73 "2016-08-12T11:15:00Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Ukelele Ike, this is a hijack, but if you like anchovies I want to know, have you ever tried bagna cauda, the hot oil dip from Italy? > > As Dr. Franklin said to Michaeal Garibaldi, on Babylon 5, “I can feel my arteries hardening just being in the same room with it.” Since Richard Biggs died of an [aortic dissection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aortic_dissection) he might have been right. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/74 "2016-08-12T14:14:17Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Yeah, I was generalizing. A whiskey sour is lemon juice, sugar, and booze. As **bump** said, a Gimlet should have Rose’s Lime Juice, which is lime juice and sugar in a bottle. > > If you have no Rose’s, you could make a Gimlet with fresh lime juice and sugar (a gin Daiquiri!), which is probably a superior drink. > > What I was getting at in my “liquor semantics” post is that all three of these cocktails are “punch.” Without the “weak” part. You know the old mnemonic rhyme…_One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, and four of weak._ Cocktail naming is all in the details though; technically a vodka martini is a “Kangaroo”, not a martini of any kind. And for that matter, to be a cocktail, it pretty much has to follow the “spirits, bitters, sweetener” formula, where the sweetener can be sugar, like in an Old Fashioned, or some sort of vermouth, like in a Manhattan or Martini. Leaving the ibtters out makes it some kind of mixed drink (in a very pedantic and nitpicking sense). I’m not sure they really count as “punch”- punches are more about that ratio above than anything else- to be a punch, it would be more like a Tom Collins or a gin fizz than anything else- something like 0.5 oz lime juice, 1 oz sugar, 1.5 oz gin, and 2 oz water/soda-water. Which I suspect would be too sweet, and not sour enough. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/75 "2016-08-13T02:21:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 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. I would say not living near a Walmart is a feature, not a bug. I am in Vancouver, the Walmart is pretty far away AND I would go to a 24 hour pharmacy with a decent grocery selection. ---
**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 13, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/76 "2016-08-13T02:30:46Z")
> [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](#): > > I would say not living near a Walmart is a feature, not a bug. **Little Nemo** , he was makin’ wit da jokes. I usually go to an olive bar in Greektown (up in Astoria, Queens) or to the local Whole Foods or other goormay shop, and fill a container half-and-half with green olives in garlic and green olives in Mediterranean herbs, then shake them together. These are very good indeed either as table olives or in a Martini. The only drawback is when you drink outside, and the little vegetal herb flecks float up and you think you got a fly in your booze. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2016, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/77 "2016-08-13T09:46:34Z")
What goes in a Martini? Depending on the variant, usually a .577/450 Boxer or a .303 British cartridge; although Turkish ones used an 11.43x55 rimmed cartridge or the 7.63x53mm Argentine round. It’s OK, I’ll get my coat. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/78 "2016-08-15T21:38:25Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > A friend of mine would make martunis with a pickled tomato. I never really liked martunis, but I loved those pickled tomatoes. They were about the size of a nickel. Delicious. Where they green tomatoes? If they were then they probably were tomolives. [http://oldsouth.com/product/6-pack-tomolives-32oz/](http://oldsouth.com/product/6-pack-tomolives-32oz/) ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/79 "2016-08-15T22:22:07Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > What goes in a Martini? > > Depending on the variant, usually a .577/450 Boxer or a .303 British cartridge; although Turkish ones used an 11.43x55 rimmed cartridge or the 7.63x53mm Argentine round. > > It’s OK, I’ll get my coat. **ME** Do I really want to know _how_ they go into you?: Looks at Handle…: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/80 "2016-08-16T09:16:56Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > **ME** Do I really want to know _how_ they go into you?: Looks at Handle…: 😃 In an ideal universe, they wouldn’t be going into me at all. 😛 However, just in case someone is being whooshed: [Martini-Enfield](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini%E2%80%93Enfield) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601.md?page=5)