Napa Farmers Market Has Your Martini Olives

Jul 3, 2018 | Napa Valley Register Article

by Annie Baker
Napa Valley Register

But I am here to talk to you about my Dad’s favorite, the Dirty Martini. A dirty martini is basically a classic martini with a nice splash of olive juice and an olive garnish.

When I was growing up, my dad had his daily 6 p.m. cocktail. It was always a dirty martini with three olives. He had to put three olives in there because I always begged him for at least one of them.

I love olives and I would get in trouble a lot for eating all the olives in the jar without telling my dad. I could hear him in the kitchen rummaging around the refrigerator and I knew: uh-oh, I am in trouble. I had ruined his evening.

Eventually, he asked me to do him a favor and let him know when I had eaten the last olive and, if possible, to please leave the olive juice in the jar so he could at least make his dirty martini.

I just love the briny flavor of olives. I am pretty sure that is why people love the dirty martini, too. It just gives a wonderful savory, salty note to a classic martini.

I am lucky enough to have my Annie the Baker stall right next to Atlas Peak Olive Oil every Tuesday and Saturday at the Napa Farmers Market. The Atlas Peak Olive Oil owner is Cathy Hammond, and she lives at the tippy top of Atlas Peak in Napa. She fought hard to protect her olive trees and house during the fires last October.

Cathy sells two olive oils made from different olive varieties: the Mission olive and the Arbequina. She also has spice mixes to add to the olive oil to create a dipping sauce, and an assortment of stuffed olives (lemon zest, habanero pepper). Her latest and greatest addition is bottled olive juice in flavors like Dirty Martini Mix, Lemon Martini Mix and Spicy Martini Mix.

So, of course, I shipped off a Father’s Day present to my dad of lemon zest-stuffed olives and Dirty Martini Mix olive juice. I will definitely get favorite-daughter status for this package.

Dirty Martini

2 1/2 ounces gin or vodka
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce brine from olive jar
3 pimento-stuffed, lemon zest-stuffed or habanero-stuffed olives

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with 3 olives so you can share.

Kids Activities at the Napa Farmers Market: Bring your little ones to the Napa Farmers Market on Saturday, June 23, for Story Time at 9:30 a.m. Story Time repeats at 10:30 a.m., followed by “Yummy and Healthy,” a child-friendly produce tasting.

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Annie Baker is the owner of Annie the Baker, a cookie vendor at the Napa Farmers Market. She is also on the board of directors of the Napa Farmers Market.