Dirty Martini Ice Cubes Are The New Way To Drink This Classic Cocktail

As one of the most celebrated cocktails, the martini has amassed near-endless variations. There's the classic martini made with gin and vermouth, garnished with an olive. Add a splash of olive brine to make it dirty. Vodka martinis are popular; a martini made with gin and vodka is a Vesper martini, James Bond's favorite. Some variations, like the espresso martini and the appletini, don't share any ingredients with the original.

There's one thing that all martini variations have in common: It's sacrilege to serve them in anything but a martini glass, and, God forbid, never on the rocks. Serving a martini on the rocks would leave you with too much dilution — and a very watery drink.

One rising trend shakes up the notion that martinis should only be served straight up. A handful of posts across social media are garnering attention for breaking the creed: Videos show creators encasing cocktail olives in ice made from a mixture of brine and water, then serving drinks over the olive-studded cubes. The trick isn't exactly reinventing the martini, but it does add a fun, unexpected touch.

One thing to keep in mind when making your own dirty martini ice cubes is that water is a vital ingredient. While watery drinks have a bad reputation, you should never overlook the importance of dilution. That water helps balance and mellow out the drink, blend the flavors, and take the edge off so you're not just drinking straight booze. While adding olive brine to your ice cubes as well prevents too much dilution, gin, vermouth, and olive brine alone would taste too pungent.

Water plays another role, too. The extra water helps ensure that the salty brine freezes solid. If you want to make sure you won't have trouble freezing the briny cubes, look for Castelvetrano olives. In addition to a mild flavor that complements gin, these olives have a low salt content. You shouldn't have any problem freezing them. For an elegant look, opt for ice cube molds in chic shapes. Some creators opted for extra-large cocktail cubes, while others used miniature cubes just big enough to showcase one olive.