Blue Cheese Martini

Usually, when our Director of Bar and Beverages tells us he’s worked up something special for our cocktail menu, we can’t wait to have a taste! But when he told us recently that he’d perfected his blue cheese martini, we had our doubts. Cheese in a cocktail? Seriously?

But then we gave it a try.

Photo credit: Breanna White

Let’s put it this way:

Is this unique cocktail strangely satisfying, with its delicious interplay between creamy, briny, and savory? Yes, it is. Have we stolen the recipe and made it for ourselves at home? Have we served it to friends and enjoyed their reactions of surprise and delight? Yes and yes.

But would we put this blue cheese martini on the menu of Utah’s top luxury caterer?

We already did.

Check out our YouTube video to watch Ryan and Bojan prepare this blue cheese martini with special guest Chris Barlow from Beehive Distilling. Or skip straight to the recipe at the end of this article.

Photo credit: Logan Walker

Why a Blue Cheese Martini Works.

Even if, like us, you love a good martini and adore a great blue cheese, the idea of marrying those flavors in a blue cheese martini may give you pause. It certainly made us skeptical. But once we’d given it a taste and realized how delightfully sip-able this drink is, it wasn’t hard to figure out why it works.

Fans of a traditional dirty martini appreciate the level of complexity and flavor that olive brine adds to the cocktail. Blue cheese takes those flavors a step further. In addition to its saltiness, blue cheese brings a creamy, tangy richness, along with a fermented funk that lingers on the finish. The fat content from the cheese also slightly coats the palate, softening the vodka’s sharp edge and giving the drink a rounder, almost velvety texture.

Think of this blue cheese martini not just as a cocktail but more like a terrific food-drink pairing.

Who does this drink appeal to?

Food-forward cocktail enthusiasts who think of drinks the way we do—always looking for ways that the right foods and drinks can make each other taste even better—will love the savory complexity of this martini. In fact, they may feel inspired to garnish the drink with a blue cheese-stuffed olive to double down on the concept.

If you’re a fan of umami flavors (i.e. if you seek out steak and potatoes, tomatoes, anchovies, aged cheeses, miso, or cured meats), you’ll appreciate the depth that blue cheese adds to a traditional martini. Also, adventurous drinkers who find standard martinis a little too clean or simple may welcome something that feels more substantial and conversation-worthy.

The Science Behind the Magic.

1. Fat + alcohol = Yum.

Blue cheese has a good amount of fat, and that’s just what this martini needs.

• Fat gives the drink a smoother, creamier mouthfeel, making the martini more enjoyable to sip and savor.
• Fat can help balance and soften the acidity and bite of the alcohol.
• Fat adds richness and depth, enhancing the flavor profile of the drink.
• Fat can carry and enhance aromatic compounds, making the cocktail more fragrant.

2. Umami takes martinis to the next level.

Blue cheese is at home in a martini for the same reason that olives or cocktail onions are: they’re all rich in umami flavors.

Lots of cocktails appeal to our senses of sweet, sour, and salty. A fourth taste sense, bitter, features prominently in a range of cocktails from aperitivo-style classics to a simple G&T. But the fifth of the human tastes, umami (aka savory), is harder to find among cocktails. Other than Bloody Marys, dirty martinis, and anything with mezcal, umami cocktails were relatively rare until the 2010s when an umami revolution began.

Today, you’ll find cocktails that feature umami ingredients like bacon-washed spirits, mushroom broth, seaweed, smoked salt, or roasted pepper. And, of course, blue cheese.

Vodka (we don’t recommend gin for this martini) is clean and austere, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of flavor. To elevate a vodka martini into something worth savoring all evening, you need layers of complexity and interest, and that’s exactly what blue cheese adds. Infusing the vodka with blue cheese adds a funky jolt of umami that gives the cocktail much more depth and “long finish” energy—the same reason Parmesan on popcorn or anchovies in Caesar dressing work so well, even if you don’t consciously taste them. The umami compounds in blue cheese give your palate plenty to play with.

3. Saltiness seals the deal.

Food scientists have shown that a small amount of sodium literally blocks bitter taste receptors on your tongue. In a dirty martini, the saltiness of the olive brine subdues the bite of the alcohol, letting other flavors come forward more clearly. At the same time, the salt makes the umami of the olives more pronounced. In a blue cheese martini, the saltiness of the cheese has the very same effects: mellowing out the bitterness while kicking up the savory notes in the drink.

Photo credit: Ashlee Brooke

4. Psychologically, it signals indulgence.

Blue cheese is already coded as “bold, grown-up, decadent.” Pair that with a martini—another grown-up icon—and your brain expects luxury. You’re primed to taste something indulgent and different, and that’s exactly what you’ll get.
Trust us: a good blue cheese martini doesn’t taste like cheese. It tastes like a richer, saltier, more complex martini with a faint funk that makes your brain go, “Wait, what was that?” and immediately take another sip.

Why infuse the vodka?

Sure, you could simply add an olive stuffed with blue cheese to your martini. Why go through the effort of infusing the blue cheese directly into the vodka itself. For one thing, infusion gives you a much more even distribution of the rich, creamy blue cheese flavor throughout your drink. Infusing the vodka also allows you to adjust the strength of the flavors to your own liking. Plus, there’s the coolness factor: who doesn’t want to try a martini made with blue cheese infused vodka?

Which blue cheese should I use to infuse the vodka?

When it comes to blue cheese, personal preference vary widely, but for this recipe we recommend a strong variety like Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or Stilton. We also suggest using a generous portion of cheese and giving your concoction plenty of time for the alcohol to extract the fat-soluble flavor compounds and some of the pungent aromatic molecules from the cheese. When you strain out the cheese, you’ll want to leave behind a slightly creamy, cloudy spirit with a distinctly cheesy, umami-rich profile. If you find the blue cheese flavor too strong, you can always scale it back by diluting it when you mix your blue cheese martini.

Why Cocchi Americano?

Instead of the traditional vermouth, you’ll notice that this martini recipe calls for Cocchi Americano. There’s a reason for that.
Cocchi Americano is an aromatized, quinine-kissed wine, lighter and brighter than vermouth, and a little more bitter. Because it tastes cleaner and less herby than dry vermouth, Cocchi Americano solved some of the structural problems that vermouth would create in this drink.

Since the blue cheese is already bringing an earthiness and sharp funk, we don’t want the wormwood and thyme-like botanicals of vermouth to muddy those flavors. Instead, Cocchi’s cleanness and bright acidity accent the blue cheese flavors without getting in their way. Also, fat-washed or cheese-infused spirits can tend to feel a little bit heavy and “flabby.” Cocchi Americano pushes back against that flabbiness, giving the drink tension and definition. Rather than a “boozy cheese bomb,” you end up with a savory, bright, well-structured cocktail.

A new old classic.

We didn’t take the decision lightly when we added the blue cheese martini to our offerings. As Utah’s premier luxury caterer, we’re constantly elevating our menus to surprise and delight the most discerning palates, and this addition reflects exactly who we are: innovative, intentional, and unapologetically sophisticated. We’re excited for you to try our blue cheese–infused martini and see what you think. By blending the briny elegance of a classic martini with the rich, savory depth of blue cheese, we think we’ve created a drink that sparks conversation and lingers in memory long after the last sip.

Photo credits: Aubrey Taiese

Blue Cheese Martini

Equipment

• 16 ounce glass jar with lid
• Paper coffee filter
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Martini glass
• Martini olive skewers

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 1-2 ounces blue cheese
• 2 ounces blue cheese-infused vodka (See instructions below for infusing the vodka)
• 3 ounces Cocchi Americano
• 3 ounces olive juice
• olives for garnish (stuffed with blue cheese, if desired)

Directions for Infusing Blue Cheese Vodka

(makes enough for 4 martinis)

1. Place 1 ounce of blue cheese in a glass jar, along with 8 ounces of vodka. We use Beehive Small Batch Vodka, but any clean, high-quality vodka will do. Give the ingredients a stir, then seal the jar and place it in the fridge overnight.
2. Strain out the cheese solids by passing the mixture through a coffee filter which has been pre-rinsed with water to prevent giving the drink a papery taste. Discard the cheese solids. (Or, if you’re a blue cheese fan, give that vodka-soaked cheese a taste. It’s delicious!) Refrigerate your infused vodka until you’re ready to make martinis.

Directions for Assembling a Blue Cheese Martini

1. Pour 2 ounces of blue cheese-infused vodka, ¾ ounce of Cocchi Americano, and ¾ ounce of olive juice into a cocktail shaker. Add a scoop of ice. Cap the shaker and give it a vigorous shake.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive and serve.

Watch the culinary wizards at Bacchus demonstrate how to make this Blue Cheese Vodka Martini on their YouTube channel. Then give this bold, surprising cocktail a try.